Defense Secretary James Mattis warned Monday that the US Army needs to “stand ready” for putting into action its various options for attacking North Korea, saying “neither you nor I can say” what the future holds, and that it’s purely up to President Trump.
Mattis presented the preparations to attack North Korea as necessary because of “continued provocations” by Pyongyang, despite North Korea not having said much of anything in recent weeks, other than being concerned that Trump has declared war during the many, many times he’s talked about destroying North Korea.
While Trump has largely been driving the North Korea war hysteria for months on end, he’s been virtually the sole instigator of such talks lately, condemning diplomacy on a near-daily basis,and insisting that “only one thing will work” against them, ominously threatening to show us all what that is “pretty soon.”
Presidents and their administrations have been talking to North Korea for 25 years, agreements made and massive amounts of money paid……
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
…hasn't worked, agreements violated before the ink was dry, makings fools of U.S. negotiators. Sorry, but only one thing will work!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 7, 2017
Repeated threats to “totally destroy” North Korea have been among his most favored talking points on any subject since the UN General Assembly. Mattis’ talk of keeping the Army ready to carry out that threat only adds to concern that the US could start a massive war at any moment.
Britain Prepares For A US War
Britain’s HMS Queen Elizabeth in the Rosyth Dockyard. (AP Photo)
If the United States attacks North Korea, Britain is expecting to be quickly sucked into the conflict. This has UK military officials drafting plans for how they would react to the American attack.
“We have plenty of ships to send,” one of the planners told the press, and the brand new aircraft carrier the HMS Queen Elizabeth not scheduled to be brought into service until 2020, could be activated immediately, without flight trials, to be rushed to the Pacific to take part in the war.
Related | Beating The Drum For A “Good” War With North Korea
That these plans are being developed underscores how seriously British officials see the risk of a war breaking out in Korea. With President Trump regularly threatening to “totally destroy” North Korea, British officials appear to see the threat as a real one.
Whether Britain’s Navy would be needed in the war is less clear. The US already has a massive Navy, especially compared to North Korea, and such a war is likely to almost immediately boil down to massive mortar and missile fire back and forth, including potential nuclear exchanges.
Watch | Media On North Korea: Easier To Demonize Than Try To Understand
Top photo | Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, speak with Chairman Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., center, as they arrive to testify on Afghanistan before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Oct. 3, 2017. (AP/Andrew Harnik)
© Antiwar.com
The post As Mattis Presents North Korea War Plan, Britain Prepares Military For Action appeared first on MintPress News.