Pentagon chief Jim Mattis tried to clear up doubts about the US administration’s North Korea strategy Tuesday, backing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s effort to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off.
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis tried to clear up doubts about the US administration’s North Korea strategy Tuesday, backing Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s effort to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear stand-off.
Defense Secretary Mattis was speaking two days after President Donald Trump appeared to undermine his top diplomat by saying Tillerson was “wasting his time” by maintaining contacts with Kim Jong-Un’s regime.
State Department officials insist Trump was not criticizing Tillerson, but pressuring Kim Jong-Un’s regime to agree to discuss its disarmament while a diplomatic option remains on the table.
Mattis, in testimony to the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the Pentagon stands four square behind the strategy — and singled out Tillerson for support.
“The international community… is focused on the destabilizing threat posed by North Korea and Kim Jong-Un’s relentless pursuit of nuclear and ballistic missile capabilities,” he said.
“The Defense Department supports fully Secretary Tillerson’s efforts to find a diplomatic solution but remains focused on defense of the United States and our allies.”
Tillerson has explained the strategy as one of using United Nations and US sanctions and diplomatic pressure to convince Kim of his isolation and force him to negotiate nuclear disarmament.
US officials insist publicly that they have military options to counter the threat from Pyongyang if this fails, but admit privately that these are limited and highly risky.
