DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/MILITARY/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH KOREA/UN: “The U.S. has military options available for North Korea that won’t put South Korea at grave risk of counterattack, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Monday [9-18-17], but he refused to spell out what those are.
Mr. Mattis also said in an impromptu meeting with reporters at the Pentagon that the U.S. isn’t likely to try to shoot down the type of missiles launched so far by North Korea because they haven’t threatened the U.S. or its interests…
U.S. and allied officials and military experts have repeatedly warned that any military attack on North Korea would bring a massive conventional counterattack against South Korea. While Mr. Mattis didn’t explain what military options could avoid such a retaliation, the U.S. considers actions such as military maneuvers and aircraft flyovers to be among options they use to pressure North Korea militarily.
Mr. Mattis’s comments came as world leaders gathered at the United Nations this week grapple with the threat of armed conflict. President Donald Trump plans to make North Korea’s drive for an intercontinental nuclear missile a major issue of his address there Tuesday and in his meetings with counterparts.
If a diplomatic resolution emerges, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency said in an interview Monday, monitors would be able to keep check on North Korea’s nuclear-related activities.”
-Gordon Lubold and Laurence Norman, “Jim Mattis Hints at Secret Military Options for North Korea,” The Wall Street Journal online, Sept. 18, 2017 08:37pm