Aug. 11 (UPI) — President Donald Trump tweeted Friday that U.S. armed forces are “locked and loaded” in case the North Korean government takes aggressive action — escalating hostile rhetoric with the regime of Kim Jong Un.
“Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely,” Trump stated. “Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!”
Earlier this week, Trump admonished Pyongyang for its continued pursuit of nuclear weapons and a long-range missile system, promising the United States would return with “fire and fury” if North Korea didn’t back down.
In response, the North Korean regime said it would develop war plans to attack the Pacific Island of Guam, a U.S. protectorate and home to Pentagon military bases.
Thursday night, Trump retweeted a message and photos of warplanes sent out by the Twitter account for the U.S. Air Force base on Guam — which included a pledge that airmen stood ready to fulfill a military mission if called upon to do so.
The war rhetoric comes a week after the Trump administration successfully pressed the United Nations Security Council to impose tough new economic sanctions on the reclusive communist regime in North Korea.
The sanctions could cost Kim’s government upward of $1 billion in badly needed revenue from exports.
