By Christopher Sparks, August 10, 2017
A “grossly overmatched” North Korea “would lose” any conflict it starts, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim “Mad Dog” Mattis warned on Aug. 9.
The Kim Jong-Un regime has said it now has the capability of striking the U.S. mainland after two successful intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests last month.
Earlier this week, Gen. Kim Rak-Gyom, who heads North Korea’s rocket command, said in a statement carried by state media that Pyongyang was “about to take” military action near the U.S. territory of Guam.
North Korea “should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people,” Mattis said in an Aug. 9 statement.
“While our State Department is making every effort to resolve this global threat through diplomatic means, it must be noted that the combined allied militaries now possess the most precise, rehearsed and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth,” Mattis said.
The Kim Jong-Un “regime’s actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours and would lose any arms race or conflict it initiates.”
President Donald Trump “was informed of the growing threat last December and on taking office his first orders to me emphasized the readiness of our ballistic missile defense and nuclear deterrent forces,” Mattis said.
Mattis said the North Korean leader “should take heed of the United Nations Security Council’s unified voice, and statements from governments the world over, who agree the DPRK poses a threat to global security and stability.”
The UN Security Council on Aug. 5 voted unanimously to impose new sanctions on North Korea.
Analysts say the new sanctions could cut off roughly one-third of North Korea’s estimated $3 billion in annual exports and put a huge dent in the funding Pyongyang needs for its weapons and nuclear programs.
“The DPRK must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” Mattis said.
Christopher Sparks is a veteran journalist who has worked for metropolitan and community newspapers in New York City, Washington, D.C., upstate New York and Florida.
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