North Korea not mobilizing forces, U.S. general says

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military’s top general told Senate lawmakers Tuesday that despite North Korea’s escalating threat to attack the United States with nuclear weapons, there is no indication that Pyongyang has mobilized the forces to do so.

Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee seeking confirmation for his next twoyear appointment as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His nomination is not expected to encounter resistance.

Dunford was asked early during his testimony about the threats emanating from North Korea, which has made steady advances with its nuclear weapons program and on Monday threatened to shoot down U.S. military aircraft.

The Pentagon has no communication with the North Korean military, he said, telling lawmakers that U.S. military leaders must rely on the Chinese to defuse potential escalations.

Dunford added that he has worked to improve military relations with China, signing an agreement in August to broaden communication in times of crisis.

Although political rhetoric has escalated in recent days and weeks, Dunford said North Korea’s military’s posture is unchanged, a signal that Pyongyang has not mobilized to conduct any specific operation.

The Pentagon continues to gather what data it can about the isolated government and its military activity, although other priorities — including the Islamic State war in Syria and Iraq — have siphoned off surveillance resources, he said.

Dunford told the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2015 that Russia, China and North Korea, in that order, posed the greatest threats to U.S. national security, calling Russia’s then-recent incursion into Ukraine and significant military exercises along its western border “nothing short of alarming.”