WASHINGTON (AP) — Impending budget cuts could hamper efforts to deter North Korea from taking hostile action and stymie plans to upgrade America’s nuclear arsenal, top U.S. military officers told senators Tuesday.

Army Lt. Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti told the Senate Armed Services Committee that reducing the number of aircraft carriers in the Pacific could undercut deterrence and increase the possibility of miscalculation in the tense Korean peninsula. Scaparrotti, who has been nominated to command U.S. forces in South Korea, added that cuts in training will also erode combat readiness there.