Trump Is Ready For War Against North Korea, General Jack Keane Warns
Jack Keane, a retired four-star U.S Army general, former vice chief of staff of the U.S. Army and a defense analysis with the Institute for the Study of War, has warned that President Donald Trump is ready to take military action against North Korea. Keane said that he is “absolutely convinced” that the Trump administration will take military action against North Korea if it deems it necessary.
Keane warned that the U.S. military is preparing for war while responding to questions on Fox News, following reports that the U.S. has sent a third naval warship to the Pacific Ocean, according to Express.
Keane’s statement comes after President Donald Trump said that the U.S. was “prepared for anything.”
“We’ll see what happens. We are so prepared, like you wouldn’t believe,” Trump told Fox News. “You would be shocked to see how totally prepared we are if we need to be.”
Trump’s statement followed repeated threats by North Korea to launch a nuclear attack against the U.S. The perception of threat from North Korea heightened after the country announced on Thursday that it plans to carry out a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.
Ri Yong Pil, a senior North Korean government official, also warned that a previous statement by a senior North Korean official that the country was planning a nuclear bomb test over the Pacific Ocean should be taken seriously.
In an exclusive interview with CNN, Ri Yong Pil advised the world to take “literally” the statement by the country’s foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, that North Korea is planning to conduct a hydrogen bomb test over the Pacific Ocean.
Pil added that North Korea “has always brought its words into action.”
“The foreign minister is very well aware of the intentions of our supreme leader, so I think you should take his words literally.”
The North Korean foreign minister made the statement during a visit to New York last month to attend the UN General Assembly.
Keane said that the assessment by Mike Pompeo, the director of the CIA, that the U.S. is closer than ever to war with North Korea, reflects the reality currently on the ground in the situation where North Korea continues to make rapid progress in its development of an effective nuclear ICBM strike capability, and is only a few months away from acquiring the capability to launch nuclear missile strikes against the U.S.
“I think this administration and national security teams certainly doesn’t want to execute that option [the military option],” Keane said, according to Express. “But they have gone out of their way to demonstrate to our allies in the region, and certainly to China and North Korea, that this option is on the table and they will execute if they have to.”
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is reportedly scheduled to visit South Korea next month. The North Korean authorities have reacted to the news, saying that Trump’s visit could spark war in the Korean peninsula. The country accused the U.S. of seeking an opportunity for war and described the country’s leader as a “lunatic” and a “war maniac.”
North Korea has so far conducted six nuclear tests. The strongest of six tests, believed to be a hydrogen bomb test, was conducted in September. It is believed that the next test, if it happens, will be even stronger. The country has shown a willingness to risk stifling economic sanctions to pursue its nuclear program.
[Featured Image by Carolyn Kaster/AP Images]
