The U.S. is well-prepared to respond with military action to any hostile behavior or serious threat from North Korea, including launching missiles at the nation’s nuclear test site, U.S. intelligence officials said on Thursday evening.
While North Korea is warning of a “big event” in the near future — possibly by the weekend — Pentagon officials have mobilized resources to hit back at the dictatorship.
“Two things are coming together this weekend,” retired Adm. James Stavridis, former commander of NATO told NBC News on Thursday. “One is the distinct possibility of a sixth North Korean nuclear weapons detonation and the other is an American carrier strike group, a great deal of firepower headed right at the Korean Peninsula.”
Conventional weapons such as bombs, in addition to two destroyers capable of shooting Tomahawk cruise missiles, aircraft carrier and heavy bombers, have been deployed to the region.
North Korea on Wednesday promised to “hit the U.S. first” with a nuclear weapon. A day later, North Korea said the U.S. would receive a “merciless retaliatory strike” if the U.S. initiates military action.
UPDATE: After NBC posted the report, which raised the possibility of a U.S. pre-emptive strike on North Korea, Fox News reporter Jennifer Griffin tweeted that Pentagon officials were calling the report “wildly wrong” and “crazy.”
Multiple sr defense officials say this report is “wildly wrong” “crazy.” Pentagon pushing back on NBC report, call it “extremely dangerous.” https://t.co/BLnoPHnhj9
— Jennifer Griffin (@JenGriffinFNC) April 13, 2017
