Top Trump aide emphasizes diplomatic and economic approach to North Korean regime
“Military preparations” are
currently underway as part of the Trump administration’s multifaceted plan
towards North Korea, a senior official said Wednesday.
The top Trump aide, who asked not
to be named, spoke with reporters while senators met at the White House for
what has been described as an “unusual” classified briefing on North Korea’s
nuclear ambitions.
“What you see is a really an
integrated effort to prioritize diplomatic and informational aspects of
national power, but also what you’ll see soon is using the economic dimension
of national power as well as the military preparations that are underway,” the
official said.
When asked to expand on the administration’s
military preparations, the
senior official remained tight-lipped, asserting
only that a “broad range of options” are being analyzed for the North Korean
“threat.”
“I don’t think we’re going to
describe those in any detail,” the Trump aide said.
The administration official highlighted further cooperation with
U.S. allies Japan and South Korea as well as attempts to push China to further
cut off the regime.
Other options, such as
multinational sanctions and
putting North Korea back on the list of
state sponsors of terrorism, have also been introduced as of late.
In a joint-statement following the White House briefing, Secretary
of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense James Mattis and Director of
National Intelligence Dan Coats asserted North Korea represents “an urgent
national security threat and top foreign policy priority.”
“Past efforts have failed to halt
North Korea’s unlawful weapons programs and nuclear and ballistic missile
tests,” the statement said. “With each provocation, North Korea jeopardizes
stability in Northeast Asia and poses a growing threat to our allies and the
U.S. homeland.”
“The United States seeks
stability and the peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula. We remain
open to negotiations towards that goal. However, we remain prepared to defend
ourselves and our allies.”
As noted by the Daily News, Sen. Chris
Coons (D-Del.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, alleged
preemptive strikes were not brought up during the briefing. Sen. Coons praised the presence of the USS Carl Vinson aircraft
carrier in the region and the recent deployment of
the THAAD missile defense system in South Korea.
“The level of the threat here is
significant and real,” Sen. Coons said. “I’m comfortable that the forward
deployment of increased American assets is an appropriate piece of a strategy
that makes military preparedness secondary to diplomacy, but I don’t think our
diplomacy won’t be successful unless it’s clear that we’re very serious.”
Adm. Harry Harris, the chief of
U.S. Pacific Command, told the
House Armed Services Committee Wednesday that a defensive radar and
anti-ballistic missile systems are now needed in Hawaii due to the North Korean
threat.
“Kim Jong-Un is clearly in a
position to threaten Hawaii today, in my opinion,” Adm. Harris said. “I have
suggested that we consider putting interceptors in Hawaii that… defend (it)
directly, and that we look at defensive Hawaii radar.”
The White House briefing follows
North Korea’s largest ever live-fire military drill held
Tuesday for the 85th anniversary of the nation’s army. South Korea likewise
conducted a live-fire military drill with
the United States Wednesday.
Credit: Mikael Thalen (Infowars.com)
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