Gen. Mattis: Always Ready

It looks like things are ramping up against North Korea as Secretary of Defense James Mattis told the U.S. Army “to be ready” if the need for military action against the rogue regime became a reality.While efforts by the administration continue to seek a peaceful response through our own avenues and those of the Chinese government who is growing more and more frustrated with N. Korea by the day, it seems neither are seeing any progress. North Korea has stated that it still plans to carry out ballistic missile tests and even a nuclear weapons test over the Pacific (as if it wasn’t radiated enough Fukashima). Currently, U.N. sanctions are leading the way to hopefully change North Korea’s course, although, for an already starving country, it may not affect them much.During Mattis’ speech to the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) he implored the use of peace first as he cautioned that “North Korean provocations are threatening regional and even global peace.” It’s a hard pill to swallow if you know anything about the North Korean people. Kim Jong-Un is basically holding an entire nation hostage just like his family has done for the last 60 some odd years. The North Korean people are not behind these provocations, but they and the South Koreans will be the ones to suffer should any nation decide to fire a shot.

The calm, cool level headed-ness that we’ve come to see from the retired four star general was on full display as well when he told reporters that “Right now what we want to do is be so ready and very much aware...that everybody in the world wants to deal with Secretary Tillerson and the Department of State, not the Department of Defense and the United States Army,” a nice reference to the old adage coined by Theodore Roosevelt “Walk soft and carry a big stick.”Mattis has been a known proponent of peace through unconventional means as he told tribal leaders in Iraq after the initial invasion and the departure of tanks and artillery “I come in peace. I didn’t bring artillery. But I’m pleading with you, with tears in my eyes: If you fuck with me, I’ll kill you all.” Mattis knows first-hand how gruesome war can be. War with North Korea would be gruesome, but as of right now, at least in the Warrior Monk’s eyes is to be ready and vigilant concerning the rogue regime. Read more news articles here.