Following Secretary of State Rex Tillerson trying to pour cold water on President Trump’s improvised “fire and fury” message to North Korea, Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis has added some more fuel to the, uh, fire by issuing a dramatic ultimatum of his own.
In a statement, Secretary Mattis said North Korea had better “cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and destruction of its people.”
“The DPRK must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons,” the statement continues, adding that the “regime’s actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours and would lose any arms race or conflict it initiates.”
Secretary Mattis, who has previously said he wants to resolve any tensions with North Korea diplomatically, urged Kim Jong Un to do the same by working with the international community.
“Kim Jong Un 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,” he said.
The U.S. has flexed its military muscle in response to North Korea’s latest threats against Guam by conducting exercises in the region. Mattis closed his statement by saying the U.S., South Korea, and Japan were more than ready to and capable of defending themselves against any provocation.
“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.
(Via CNN)