Secretary Mattis Statement at the White House
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Sept. 3, 2017)
We have many military options, and the President wanted to be briefed on each one of them.
We made clear that we have the ability to defend ourselves and our allies – South Korea and Japan – from any attack. And our commitments among the allies are ironclad.
Any threat to the United or its territories – including Guam – or our allies will be met with a massive military response – a response both effective and overwhelming.
Kim Jong Un should take heed the United Nations Security Council's unified voice – all members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula – because we are not looking to the total annihilation of a country – namely, North Korea.
But, as I said, we have many options to do so. Thank you very much.
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Mattis, Dunford Brief President on Military Options Available to Deal with North Korea
(Source: US Department of Defense; issued Sept 03, 2017)
Marine Corps Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, joined Mattis for his announcement.
At about 11:30 p.m. EDT last night, the U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program detected a magnitude 6.3 explosion, about 13 miles east-northeast of Sungjibaegam, North Korea, located near the site where North Korea has detonated nuclear explosions in the past, according to a USGS statement.
Other institutions and organizations specializing in seismic detection also reported the explosion and resulting seismic signature.
The Korean Central News Agency announced that North Korean scientists had carried out a test in the country's northern nuclear test ground of a hydrogen bomb built to sit on top of an intercontinental ballistic missile, describing the device as a two-stage thermonuclear weapon.
Media reports say that the test was the most powerful of the six, but there is no official measurement yet of the force of the hydrogen weapon.
Ironclad Commitment
In his remarks, Mattis said they had made clear to the president that the United States has the ability to defend itself and its allies -- South Korea and Japan -- from any attack.
"Our commitments among the allies are ironclad," the secretary added. "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including [the U.S. territory of] Guam or our allies, will be met with a massive military response, a response both effective and overwhelming."
This nuclear test was North Korea's sixth since 2006.
The weapon tested last night was a fusion bomb, also called a hydrogen bomb or thermonuclear weapon. Fission weapons, such as those that fell on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II, are sometimes called atomic bombs.
In a hydrogen bomb, according to a 2012 paper by Martin E. Hellman, a Stanford University professor, a primary element is an implosion fission weapon that is used to ignite the secondary fusion reaction.
The Air Force Technical Applications Center at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida, is the only federal organization whose mission is to detect and report technical data from foreign nuclear explosions. The center operates and maintains a 3,600-sensor global network of nuclear event detection equipment called the U.S. Atomic Energy Detection Systems, the largest sensor network in the Air Force.
Once a disturbance is detected underground, underwater, in the atmosphere or in space, the event is analyzed for nuclear identification, and the findings are reported to national command authorities.
Unified Voice
This afternoon, Mattis said that Kim Jong Un should take heed of the United Nations Security Council's unified voice.
"All members unanimously agreed on the threat North Korea poses, and they remain unanimous in their commitment to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," he said.
"We are not looking to the total annihilation of a country, namely North Korea. But as I said, we have many options to do so," Mattis added.
The U.N. Security Council announced that it will have a meeting about the nuclear test tomorrow morning.
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US Considers Deploying Strategic Weapons to S. Korea
(Source: The Korea Times; published Aug 03, 2017)
By Yi Whan-woo
The possible deployment comes as part of efforts to bolster extended deterrence against North Korea's fast-growing nuclear and ballistic missile threats, including its sixth nuclear test, Sunday.
The move is also believed to be in line with Seoul's growing demand for deployment of U.S. tactical nuclear weapons.
"The F-22 and F-35B are expected to maximize fear in North Korea while settling concerns over security in the South by showing U.S. determination on extended deterrence," a source said.
The possible deployment plans include dispatching F-22 Raptors and F-35B Lightning IIs every three months.
They will be deployed in either Osan, Gyeonggi Province or Gunsan, North Jeolla Province, where the U.S. Air Force Bases are located.
It would take 10 minutes from Osan and 20 minutes from Gunsan for the U.S. stealth jets to arrive over Pyongyang.
"They would not be detected by North Korea's air defense network. This could raise fear among the North Korean leadership, as they can't predict where precision strikes would be made," a source said.
An F-22 can fly at a speed of mach 2.5 and its operational range is up to 2,177 kilometers.
It can carry six AIM-120C and two AIM-9 missiles for its primary air-to-air role or carries two 1,000 pound-class Joint Direct Attack Munitions (JDAM), two AIM-120C, and two AIM-9 missiles for ground attacks.
An F-35B can carry a JDAM and a GBU-53/B Small Diameter Bomb II.
Seoul to have more powerful missiles
Meanwhile, President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to enhance Seoul's missile capabilities in a telephone conversation, Friday.
During their talks, Trump stressed the importance of sending a strong and clear message to the reclusive North.
"The two leaders reached an agreement in principle to revise the bilateral missile guidelines to the extent hoped by the South Korea," a Cheong Wa Dae spokesman said.
Seoul earlier cited a need to revise the guidelines between the allies to increase the maximum payload of South Korean missiles to 1 ton from the current 500 kilograms.
Moon and Trump will meet later in the month when the South Korean president visits New York for a session of the U.N. General Assembly.
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