Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Monday that a North Korean missile launch at the United States, including its territory of Guam, could escalate quickly into war.
The U.S. military is capable of judging where any regime missile is headed “within moments” and would immediately try to shoot down one aimed at the U.S. mainland or one of its territories, Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon.
“I think if they fire at the United States it could escalate into war very quickly, yes, that’s called ‘war’ if they shoot at us,” he said. “They shoot at the United States, I’m assuming they hit the United States … if they do that then it’s game on and we have to try our best to make sure it does not hit the United States, but we will know that’s where it’s going.”
Mattis said he would not speculate on any military response to North Korea firing missiles in the vicinity of Guam and that any decision would be up to President Trump.
North Korea has said it may finalize a plan this week to fire four missiles that would land 19 to 25 miles in the waters near the island, which is home to 160,000 people and two key U.S. military bases, amid rising tensions over its pursuit of nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles capable of targeting the American mainland.
Not longer after Mattis made his remarks on Monday, the Korean Central News Agency reported that Kim Jong Un had been briefed on the plan to bring “enveloping fire” to the Pacific Island, according to the Associated Press. He praised the military’s “close and careful plan” while inspecting the Korean People’s Army’s Strategic Forces.
Trump warned last week that the regime will face “fire and fury” if it continues with its provocations.
Meanwhile, Mattis, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford have also been pursuing a diplomatic solution with the North.
Dunford arrived in China Monday to meet with his counterpart on the unfolding crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
