Pence thanks military members:

Vice-President Mike Pence ended his trip to Asia on Monday with a thanks to US service members based in Hawaii and promises of robust military spending under President Donald Trump.

Pence sat with troops for lunch at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii and noted the president’s push for increased military spending at a time when the US faces threats in the Asia-Pacific posed by North Korea.

The vice-president said he wanted to assure military members that “in these uncertain times, people who serve here at US Pacific Command will know that in your commander-in-chief, you have a president who is going to fight to rebuild our military.”

Pence wrapped up a 10-day trip to Asia that included a visit to the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea, consultations with leaders in South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia, and a quick stop to see troops in American Samoa.

The United States’ efforts to curb North Korea’s nuclear and weapons programs dominated the trip, which put Pence in Asia shortly after Kim Jong Un’s regime unsuccessfully launched a ballistic missile.

For Pence, the trip offered evidence that the former governor has become one of President Donald Trump’s chief emissaries on the world stage, patching up relations, reassuring allies still wondering what to expect from Trump and diving into international crises like North Korea.

During the trip, Pence delivered North Korea a stern warning: that “all options are on the table” when it comes to curbing the North’s nuclear ambitions.