10/22/2017

DEFENSE/JAMES MATTIS/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived here to meet with regional counterparts as the U.S. attempts to coordinate efforts to counter North Korean belligerence.
The Pentagon chief is scheduled to meet Monday with Japanese Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera, Philippine Defense Minister Delfin Lorenzana and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo during a gathering of defense ministers of Association of Southeast Asian Nations.
Mr. Mattis has plans to meet with officials from other Asean nations as well, including India, Indonesia and Malaysia. They will discuss ‘the regional security crisis caused by the reckless DPRK, North Korea provocations’ among other issues, Mr. Mattis told reporters on a plane Monday…
President Donald Trump has countered North Korean leader Kim Jong Un’s launches and belligerent remarks with his own fiery rhetoric, threatening a massive military response. But Mr. Mattis and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have maintained that diplomatic options remain the best approach to resolve the crisis.
In addition to meeting with the Japanese and South Korean defense ministers individually, Mr. Mattis will also hold a trilateral discussion during the Asean meeting, he said.”

-Gordon Lubold, “Mattis to Discuss North Korean Threat With Southeast Asian Defense Officials,” The Wall Street Journal online, Oct. 22, 2017 07:15pm