Pence to U.S. troops on North Korea Be ready

Vice President Mike Pence visited an Air Force base critical to American nuclear capabilities on Friday to deliver a stark warning to North Korea in the face of escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula. “Our enemies should never doubt the capabilities of the Armed Forces of the United States of America,” Pence told servicemen and women at North Dakota’s Minot Air Force Base, home to 26 B-52 bombers and 150 intercontinental ballistic missile sites. “Anyone who would threaten our nation should know that America always seeks peace, but if we are forced to defend ourselves or our allies, we will do so with military power that is effective and overwhelming,” Pence went on — though he also described the arsenal at Minot as “that credible deterrent that has assured the security of the American people for generations.” “Now, more than ever, your commander in chief is depending on you to be ready,” Pence said.

The remarks come just days before President Donald Trump is set to travel to Asia on a trip that will include a visit to South Korea, where Defense Secretary James Mattis traveled Friday to visit the DMZ and reaffirm American support for diplomatic efforts to resolve tensions with North Korea over its efforts to expand its nuclear capabilities.

North Korea’s nuclear threat has become the central foreign policy concern of the Trump administration. North Korea conducted its sixth nuclear test in September, and rhetoric has been heated on both sides. Trump has frequently taken to Twitter to mock North Korea’s leader, calling him “little rocket man.” Pence delivered his remarks after participating in a combined mission briefing with Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson and other military leaders about aspects of military preparedness, including nuclear preparedness, according to an administration official.

The trip to Minot comes on the heels of a series of highly classified briefings Pence has participated in in the last two months with the National Geospatial Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and the DNI, according to an official familiar with the briefings.