Preparing for the worst
Donald Trump responds to North Korea’s threats with swagger as Guam readies for a possible missile attack.
US President Donald Trump has issued fresh threats of swift and forceful retaliation against nucleararmed North Korea, declaring the US military ‘‘locked and loaded’’ and warning that the communist country’s leader ‘‘will regret it fast’’ if he takes any action against US territories or allies.
The warnings yesterday came in a cascade of unscripted statements throughout the day, each ratcheting up a rhetorical standoff between the two nuclear nations.
Trump appeared to draw another red line that would trigger a US attack against North Korea and ‘‘big, big trouble’’ for its leader, Kim Jong-un. But his comments did not appear to be backed by significant military mobilisation on either side of the Pacific, and an important, quiet diplomatic channel remained open.
‘‘If he utters one threat in the form of an overt threat – which, by the way, he has been uttering for years and his family has been uttering for years – or he does anything with respect to Guam or any place else that’s an American territory or an American ally, he will truly regret it, and he will regret it fast,’’ Trump told reporters at his New Jersey golf resort.
Asked if the US was going to war, he said cryptically: ‘‘I think you know the answer to that.’’
The compounding threats came in a week in which long-standing tensions between the countries risked abruptly boiling over.
New United Nations sanctions condemning the North’s rapidly developing nuclear programme drew fresh ire and threats from Pyongyang. Trump responded by vowing to rain down ‘‘fire and fury’’ if challenged. The North then threatened to lob missiles near Guam, a tiny US Pacific territory more than 3000 kilometres from Pyongyang.
Tough talk aside, talks between senior US and North Korean diplomats are continuing through a back channel previously used to negotiate the return of Americans held in North Korea.
The talks have expanded to address the deterioration of the relationship. They haven’t quelled tensions, but could be a foundation for a more diplomacy, according to US officials and others briefed on the process, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Trump yesterday sought to project American military strength, only dialling back slightly throughout the day.
He began with a morning tweet: ‘‘Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!’’
He later retweeted a posting from US Pacific Command that showed B-1B Lancer bombers on Guam that ‘‘stand ready to fulfill USFK’s #FightTonight mission if called upon to do so.’’
Trump declined to explain the boast of military readiness when asked by reporters later in the day at an event highlighting workforce development programmes. He also brushed away calls for caution from world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
‘‘I don’t see a military solution, and I don’t think it’s called for,’’ Merkel said yesterday. She declined to say whether Germany would stand with the US in a military conflict with North Korea.
She called on the UN Security Council to continue to address the crisis. ‘‘I think escalating the rhetoric is the wrong answer.’’
By evening, after a briefing with top advisers and standing next to his secretary of state and UN ambassador, Trump suggested that diplomacy could yet prevail.
‘‘Hopefully, it’ll all work out,’’ he said. ‘‘Nobody loves a peaceful solution better than President Trump.’’
Trump spoke later with Guam Governor Eddie Calvo, promising: ‘‘You are safe. We are with you a thousand per cent.’’
Calvo responded by saying he felt safe and confident with Trump’s leadership. ‘‘I’m glad you’re holding the helm, sir.’’
Trump also spoke with President Xi Jinping of China, North Korea’s main economic partner, who said all sides should avoid rhetoric or action that would worsen tensions on the Korean Peninsula, according to state broadcaster China Central Television.
The White House said both leaders agreed that North Korea must stop its ‘‘provocative and escalatory behaviour’’. Trump has pushed China to do more to pressure North Korea to halt its nuclear weapons programme.
Trump announced that he planned to hold another press conference in Washington on Tuesday.
Behind the threats, US officials insist there has been no new significant movement of troops, ships, aircraft or other assets to the region other than for longscheduled military exercises with South Korea. American and South Korean officials said the exercises would happen as planned this month. North Korea claims they are a rehearsal for war.
The exercises are an annual event, but they come as Pyongyang says it is readying a plan to fire four medium-range missiles towards Guam, a major US military hub.
Guam’s Office of Civil Defence began distributing fact sheets yesterday to help residents prepare for a missile attack from North Korea. The guidance includes tips on building an emergency kit, advice on staying put in concrete or brick structures, and reminders about keeping calm.
If an attack warning is issued, residents should take cover quickly – in a concrete structure, preferably underground – and stay there until instructed otherwise, according to the fact sheet titled ‘‘Preparing for an Imminent Missile Threat’’.
‘‘Do not look at the flash or fireball – it can blind you,’’ it advises those who are caught outside. ‘‘Lie flat on the ground and cover your head.’’
The flyer also offers guidance on removing radioactive material.
‘‘When possible, take a shower with lots of soap and water to help remove radioactive contamination.’’ But don’t scratch or scrub skin, and ‘‘do not use conditioner in your hair, because it will bind radioactive material to your hair’’.
Officials hadn’t raised the US territory’s threat level, Calvo said. He noted that Guam had many buildings made to withstand powerful typhoons, yet he acknowledged that nothing could protect against a thermonuclear attack.
The fact sheets do not seem to have caused any widespread anxiety or to have affected day-today life on Guam. Some people have wondered about where they can find plastic sheeting, as one of the flyers recommends using duct tape and plastic sheeting ‘‘to seal all cracks around the door and any vents into the room’’.
‘‘Our office hasn’t received too many concerned calls,’’ said Jenna Gaminde, a spokeswoman for Guam Homeland Security. ‘‘We’ve had a few here and there, [but] our lines blow up when there’s a natural event.
‘‘People are calm. We try to assure them there are defence capabilities in place, and people are putting their faith in them.’’
Dee Cruz, a senior watch officer with Guam Homeland Security, said the island remained on alert, but its government and its people had steeled themselves for the worst.