The US military is preparing very seriously for a possible war with North Korea, a Republican congressman said today, hoping that these preparations will not be put into practice.
"The administration is looking very seriously at the military options that could come into play with respect to North Korea," Mac Thornberry, who heads the House Armed Services Committee, told the media.
"The trainings are very serious", he stressed, adding that the military are making preparations and I hope they will not be necessary.
The US Secretary of Defense, Jim Mattis, insisted several times on the fact that efforts to resolve the North Korean crisis should be diplomatic, adding that the Pentagon will continue to prepare for any eventuality.
Tensions with Pyongyang have worsened following last year's increase in North Korean ballistic missile launches capable of carrying a nuclear warhead and reaching the US mainland.
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Mattis warns of massive military response to North Korea
In a sign that tensions remain high, a false alarm has caused panic in the Hawaiian archipelago as residents received a message warning them the territory had been targeted by a ballistic missile and asking them to take shelter.
The US and its allies gathered today in Vancouver to tighten sanctions against Pyongyang, a meeting without China, without Russia.
