Putting the world on notice that the U.S. will not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea, 67-year-old Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis told reporters visiting South Korea. With South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo at his side, Mattis called North Korea an “outlaw” state, whose nuke and ballistic missile programs are an existential threat to the U.S. and its allies. Mattis warned North Korea that it’s “overmatched” by U.S. firepower, urging Pyongyang to disarm its nuke and ballistic missile program. Mattis knows that Kim’s unlikely to disarm, feverishly continuing his work on a nuclear-tipped Intercontinental Ballistic Missile [ICBM[. “North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbors and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons program,” said Mattis, warning North Korea of U.S. military action.
Russia, China, United Nations and European Union want a peaceful settlement of the North Korean nuke issue, but have no mechanism for getting 33-year-old North Korean President Kim Jong-un to disarm. All parties want negotiations but haven’t, like the U.S., established condition for nuclear disarmament. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov already stated the Kremlin’s view Sept. 25 that the U.S. won’t attack North Korea because it’s a nuclear state. White House and Pentagon officials do not accept North Korea as a nuclear state. “I cannot imagine a condition under which the United States would accept North Korea as a nuclear power,” said Mattis, throwing cold water on diplomatic doubletalk with North Korea. Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sept. 5 that North Korea would rather “eat grass” than give up its nukes and ballistic missile programs.
When North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Young-ho said Sept. 23 it’s “inevitable” that the U.S. would be hit with its missiles, the Pentagon placed more urgency on stopping Kim Jong-un. Mattis wants to let U.S. allies and adversaries know that he’s dead serious about disarming North Korea. “Make no mistake—any attack on the United States or our allies will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response that is effective and overwhelming,” hinting that the U.S. might use nuclear weapons against Pyongyang. Since Kim’s last hydrogen bomb blast Sept. 3 measuring 6.3 on the Richter Scale, North Korea has only fired one ballistic missile Sept. 15 over Japan. Mattis put China, Russia, U.N. and EU on notice that one more provocative act by North Korea could trigger a massive U.S. military response.
Unlike the U.S., the U.N., EU, China and Russia are willing to play the game of deterrence with North Korea, accepting that they’re a nuclear state. White House and the Pentagon reject North Korea as a nuclear power. Mattis made clear that if Kim does not disarm, and do it soon, they face strike by the U.S. military. Whatever’s happening on the diplomatic front, there’s no substitute for a commitment by Pyongyang to disarm. South Korea’s Defense Minister Song wants the “the most advance military assets,” with conservative members of South Korean parliament requesting to reinstate tactical nuclear weapons, something removed in the 1990s. Mattis insisted that current offensive and defensive weapons in South Korea provide enough deterrence. Song fears that if the U.S. attacks North Korea, their numerous artillery pieces already positioned in the Demilitarized Zone could inflict heavy damage on Seoul.
Mattis told South Korea Korean Defense Minister Young-moo that the U.S. was still committed to diplomatic efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula. Young-moo knows that North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, like his father Kime Jong-il, has no intent of giving up his nukes and ballistic missiles. What’s different now is that President Donald Trump is no longer willing to continue the “kick-the-can” policy practiced under the last three American presidents since Bill Clinton. Trump sees the “clear-and-present-danger” from the CIA’s estimate that Kim could be only six months away from having an operational nuke-tipped ICBM capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. South Korea worries that if the U.S. attack Pyongyang, North Korea would hit Seoul with a devastating artillery barrage. Mattis tried to reassure Young-moo that the U.S. could repel such an attack.
Letting the world know that the Trump White House and Pentagon will not accept North Korea as a nuclear state, Mattis put the U.N., EU, China and Russia on notice that the U.S. is prepared to exercise its military option in North Korea. Whatever firepower Kim possesses, including nukes, Mattis said the U.S. is prepared for any contingency. “Our military options as I mentioned are designed to buttress diplomats’ efforts to maintain a deterrence stance and denuclearize the Korean Peninsula,” said Mattis. If it were only deterrence, the U.S. has the conventional and nuclear capability to neutralize North Korean threats. Trump wants more than deterrence, he wants to disarm Kim of his nukes and ballistic missiles. Mattis insisted the allies need “many different military options that would realistically reduce that threat as low as possible,” meaning that if diplomacy fails, the military option’s ready.
