The Pentagon is maintaining a "boxer's stance" when it comes to its readiness levels after President Trump pulled out of a planned summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Thursday.
"Right now we are in a level of good readiness. We’re in a boxer’s stance. We’re ready to respond. We’ll see what develops over the next few days," Lt. Gen. Frank McKenzie, director of the Pentagon’s Joint Staff. "If any provocative actions occur from DPRK we’ll certainly in concert with our partners and allies in the region be ready for it."
Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokesperson, said the posture hasn't changed.
“We are still continuing the maximum pressure campaign. That hasn’t changed,” White said. “We are ready to fight tonight,” she said making reference to the slogan of US troops stationed in South Korea.
White confirmed that on Thursday morning, Trump talked to Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, who were both in Colorado attending a change of command ceremony for the US Northern Command.
Asked if the US believes North Korea night resume missile tests, McKenzie said, “I couldn’t speculate. We’ll be ready if it happens."
McKenzie said the Pentagon was also reviewing satellite imagery of the North Korean nuclear test site at Punggye-ri and has not yet made an assessment if the site was truly rendered unusable by the explosions set off Thursday by North Korea.
“They obviously did some visible destruction at the entrance to the tunnel,” McKenzie said. “I don’t know more than that right now.”
The Pentagon brushed aside suggestions that a breakdown in relations with China, including Wednesday’s decision to disinvite the Chinese Navy from a major international exercise next month, had anything to do with the increase in bellicose rhetoric from Pyongyang.
“We will work with China where we can, and we will confront China where we must,” White said. “The way forward, frankly it’s in the hands of the North Koreans. As the president already said, he’s prepared to talk. His letter says, 'write me, call me.'"
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