Pence warns North Korea: ‘We will defeat any attack’
YOKOSUKA, Japan — From the wind-swept deck of an aircraft carrier, Vice President Mike Pence on Wednesday warned North Korea not to test the resolve of the U.S. military, promising it would make an “overwhelming and effective” response to any use of conventional or nuclear weapons, joining other American officials in admonishing Pyongyang.
Pence said aboard the USS Ronald Reagan that President Donald Trump’s administration would continue to “work diligently” with allies such as Japan, China and other global powers to apply economic and diplomatic pressure on Pyongyang.
But he told the sailors, “as all of you know, readiness is the key.”
“The United States of America will always seek peace, but under President Trump, the shield stands guard and the sword stands ready,” Pence told 2,500 sailors aboard the carrier at the U.S. Yokosuka naval base in Tokyo Bay.
“Those who would challenge our resolve or readiness should know, we will defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response,” Pence said.
The vice president said the U.S. would honor its alliance with Pacific Rim nations and protect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, the sea lanes vital to global shipping where China has been staking claim to disputed territory.
Pence’s speech came after meetings with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Tuesday in Tokyo, where he noted that “all options are on the table.”
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also warned that North Korea’s latest failed missile launch was a reckless act of provocation and assured allies in Asia that the U.S. was ready to work to achieve a peaceful denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.
Mattis denounced North Korea’s attempted missile launch as he began a Middle East tour, telling reporters traveling with him to Saudi Arabia, “the leader of North Korea again recklessly tried to provoke something by launching a missile,” he said. The term “reckless” is one the North Koreans have used to describe ongoing large-scale U.S. and South Korean military exercises, which the North calls a dress rehearsal for an invasion.
Mattis did not identify the type of missile but said it was not of intercontinental range, meaning it could not reach U.S. territory.
Mattis credited China with trying to help get the North Korea situation “under control.”