US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, told reporters that President Donald Trump directly has « told us to develop credible viable military options and that’s exactly what we’re doing. »
A military solution to the North Korean missile threat would be « horrific » but allowing Pyongyang to develop the capability to launch a nuclear attack on the United States is « unimaginable, » the top US military officer said today in Beijing.
The chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, told reporters that President Donald Trump directly has « told us to develop credible viable military options and that’s exactly what we’re doing. »
Dunford was responding to questions about Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon saying in a new interview that the threat posed by North Korea cannot handled by force.
« There’s no military solution, forget it, » Bannon told The American Prospect. « Until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in Seoul don’t die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, I don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s no military solution here, they got us. »
In Beijing, Dunford said it’s « absolutely horrific if there would be a military solution to this problem, there’s no question about it. »
But, he added, « what’s unimaginable is allowing KJU (North Korean leader Kim Jong Un) to develop ballistic missiles with a nuclear warhead that can threaten the United States and continue to threaten the region. »
Dunford met later today with Chinese President Xi Jinping, during which both men reinforced the importance of exchanges between their militaries in stabilizing a relationship frequently roiled by disputes over security, diplomacy and trade.
« We both know that you and President Trump are committed to our improvement in military-to-military relations and we have approached it with great commitment, candor and we certainly want to deliver results, » Dunford told Xi in opening remarks.
