SECDEF MATTIS ON NORTH KOREA: Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis spoke to the Association of the U.S. Army’s annual meeting today.

When asked about North Korea Mattis said:

“Now what does the future hold? Neither you nor I can say, so there’s one thing the U.S. Army can do. And that is you’ve got to be ready to ensure that we have military options that our president can employ if needed. We currently, we currently are in a diplomatically-led effort and how many times you’ve seen the U.N. Security Council vote unanimously, now twice in a row, to impose stronger sanctions on North Korea.”

He added this:

“The international community has spoken, but that means the U.S. Army must stand ready. And so if you’re ready, that’s your duty at this point in time and I know the Army will always do its duty…”

VERY CLOSELY RELATED: USAF B-1B in formation with South Korean F-15Ks. (Yes, it’s a cheeky reference to Close Air Support. No, a B-1B isn’t an ideal CAS platform but it carries precision munitions and can handle CAS missions (link discusses one in Iraq). F-15E Strike Eagles can handle CAS, and the F-15K is an F-15E modified to meet South Korean specifications. )