WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has said America and its allies will never be intimidated and insisted that the US' options for addressing the threat posed by North Korea are both "effective and overwhelming".
Trump's remarks came in response to the latest ballistic missile test conducted by North Korea. The remarks also came after H R McMaster, the US' National Security Adviser, reaffirmed that the Trump administration has military options in place for dealing with North Korea.
"After seeing your capabilities and commitment here today, I am more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming,"
Trump said in his address to air force personnel and families on the 70th anniversary of the US Air Force.
Trump said America and its allies will never be intimidated.
"We will defend our people, our nations, and our civilisation from all who dare to threaten our way of life.
This includes the regime of North Korea, which has once again shown its utter contempt for its neighbours and for the entire world community," he said.
North Korea yesterday fired an intermediate range ballistic missile over Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. But the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) had said the ballistic missile did not pose a threat to North America.
US Secretary of Defence James Mattis spoke over phone with his Japanese counterpart Itsunori Onodera following the latest North Korean missile launch, the Pentagon said.
"The secretary reassured his Japanese counterpart of America's unwavering commitment to the defence of Japan and the broader security of the region," Director of Defence Press Operations Colonel Rob Manning said.
"Mattis and Onodera agreed that the North Korean provocation called for a strong demonstration of a unified front between the US, Japan, and the Republic of Korea, and agreed on the importance of robust trilateral defence cooperation between the three nations," he said.
Mattis told reporters on his way to Mexico that as a result of the North Korean missile test, tens of millions of Japanese people were seen going into duck and cover, which was the second time that they've had to do that since World War II.
"I believe it will further North Korea's isolation diplomatic and economic isolation -- because more and more nations are realising there's simply no collaboration with the international community. There's a dismissal of international concern, unified UN Security Council concerns," he said.
"I think they're deepening their isolation, economic and diplomatic. And right now, I don't have any more forensics on it. That takes us a little while, as we amass everything and analyse it," Mattis said.
Responding to a question, Mattis said he is not aware of any effort on the part of South Korea to shoot down the North Korean missile.
"The South Korean government said they fired a missile within minutes afterwards, from their coastline. It was a short-range missile, obviously, simply to make clear that they have the capability to defend themselves," he said.