President Donald Trump says he definitely does not want war with North Korea, but he will not let Pyongyang’s ambitions threaten the U.S. or its allies.
“You know we have sent three of our largest aircraft carriers in the world and they are right now positioned. We have a nuclear submarine also positioned,” the president stressed in South Korea. “We have many things happening that we hope to God that we never have to use.”
“We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built. We have built it very much together and we are very proud of it,” he added.
Trump stressed that the growing American military presence in the region is a symbol of America’s “overwhelming” strength. For the first time in a decade, three U.S. aircraft carriers — USS Nimitz, USS Ronald Reagan, and USS Theodore Roosevelt — will drill together in the Western Pacific. (RELATED: Three US Carrier Strike Groups To Demonstrate America’s Unmatched Naval Power In Asia)
“We are showing great strength and I think they (North Korea) understand we have unparalleled strength,” Trump explained. Calling the North a serious threat to the world, the president said, “We will, together, confront North Korea’s actions and prevent the North Korean dictator from threatening millions of innocent lives.”
Trump urged North Korea to do the reasonable thing and come to the table for negotiations, indicating that the president is in favor of a diplomatic solution over a costly military campaign.
“As we work together to resolve this problem using all available tools short of military action,” Trump asserted, “the U.S. stands prepared to defend itself and its allies using the full range of our unmatched military capabilities if need be.”
In recent weeks, heavy bombers have ripped past the Korean Peninsula on the regular, sending a clear message to Pyongyang. A U.S. nuclear-powered submarine, one with able to match an fully-outfitted aircraft carrier in firepower, also made a stop in South Korea. (RELATED: US Sends One Of The World’s Most Powerful Subs To Korea Amid Rising Tensions)
While the president and his staff have stated that the military option is not the preferred choice, the Trump administration has made it clear from the beginning that all options are on the table, and such strategic military assets could be used to carry out a pre-emptive strike on North Korea. Media reports out of Pyongyang indicate that the North is concerned about this possibility.
North Korea declared that the deployment of bombers, submarines, and aircraft carriers to the peninsula “compel the DPRK to take military counteraction.” The regime has moved its hand is closer to the trigger, reports from last month claimed.
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