The Trump administration has had a busy set of weeks here recently in regards to foreign policy. Not only did the president garner some surprising praise for his decision to launch 59 tomahawk missiles at a Syrian airbase in retaliation for the Assad regime’s alleged chemical weapons attack last Tuesday, but today the military dropped the largest non-nuclear bomb we have in our arsenal on ISIS in Afghanistan. Also toss in a few random strikes across Syria and the ongoing operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan and you’ve got a very busy White House.
And now, according to NBC, they’re trying to add even more to their plate by turning the current tense standoff with North Korea into a full-blown conflict. The United States has already sent a carrier-led strike team to the area as a defensive measure against increased DPRK agitation, while Kim Jong-un reportedly has his nation ready for war in response. Now it seems that the United States could strike first if North Korea decides to act up yet again:
North Korea has warned that a “big event” is near, and U.S. officials say signs point to a nuclear test that could come as early as this weekend.
The intelligence officials told NBC News that the U.S. has positioned two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles in the region, one just 300 miles from the North Korean nuclear test site.
American heavy bombers are also positioned in Guam to attack North Korea should it be necessary, and earlier this week, the Pentagon announced that the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier strike group was being diverted to the area.
The U.S. strike could include missiles and bombs, cyber and special operations on the ground.
No word on if President Trump discussed these plans with Chinese President Xi Jinping during his visit last week, but any military action would certainly be of interest to China and North Korea’s other neighbors. According to NBC, U.S. officials are aware of the risks involved but feel it is necessary to take action against a nation that shows “absolutely no sign or interest in diplomacy or dialogue“:
“We are trying to communicate our level of concern and the existence of many military options to dissuade the North first.”
“It’s a feat that we’ve never achieved before but there is a new sense of resolve here,” the official said, referring to the White House.
It would seem all eyes will be on the Korean peninsula this weekend.
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(Via NBC)