White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster stressed Tuesday that the U.S. must “act urgently” to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions.
“As this regime continues to perfect its long range nuclear capabilities, it’s just a risk that the world cannot tolerate,” McMaster told PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff. He called for increased pressure in coordination with allies and international partners, highlighting the need for proper sanctions implementation.
McMaster has repeatedly warned that America is running out of time to resolve this problem peacefully, as the North is rapidly advancing its nuclear and ballistic missile development programs. North Korea has tested successfully five new missiles, including two intercontinental ballistic missiles theoretically able to range the continental U.S. The rogue regime also detonated a suspected staged thermonuclear bomb built to destroy cities.
“I think it’s increasing every day,” McMaster recently said of the potential for war with North Korea in a interview with Fox News. “It means we’re in a race. We’re in a race to be able to solve this problem.”
“There are ways to address this problem short of armed conflict,” he explained, “but it is a race because he’s getting closer and closer and there’s not much time left.”
While McMaster has stated clearly that the military option is certainly not the preferred option given the risks, he told PBS that there are military options on the table. “The president asked us to continue to refine a military option should we have to use it,” he revealed.
He added that the U.S. and its international partners must “take all the diplomatic action, all the economic action we can to convince Kim Jong Un this is a dead end.”
“North Korea seeks the capability to kill millions of Americans with nuclear weapons,” President Donald Trump’s new National Security Strategy asserts. “North Korea’s pursuit of these weapons poses a global threat that requires a global response.”
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