Trump warns military "locked and loaded" against North Korea threat
President Trump said Friday that U.S. military solutions against North Korea are now "locked and loaded."
The president said that the U.S. military is ready in a tweet and said he hopes North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un, "will find another path."
Military solutions are now fully in place,locked and loaded,should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 11, 2017
His comment comes after several days of increasing tensions between the two nations. Earlier this week, Mr. Trump threatened "fire and fury" against North Korea if it continued to threaten the U.S. On Thursday, he wondered if his statement was not tough enough.
"Frankly, the people who are questioning that statement, was it too tough? Maybe it wasn't tough enough." Mr. Trump said. "They've been doing this to our country for a long time - for many years, and it's about time someone stuck up for this country and for the people of other countries. So if anything, maybe that statement wasn't tough enough."
The "fire and fury" warning then prompted North Korea to threaten to attack Guam, a U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean.
A new U.S. intelligence assessment concludes that North Korea has developed the ability to build a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on top of a ballistic missile, including an intercontinental missile that can reach the U.S.