<p>Defense Secretary James Mattis warned Monday that the US Army <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mattis-tells-army-to-be-ready-on-north-korea-military-options/" type="external">needs to &#8220;stand ready&#8221; for put into action its various options</a> for attacking North Korea, saying &#8220;neither you nor I can say&#8221; what the future holds, and that it&#8217;s purely up to President Trump.</p> 
<p>Mattis presented the preparations to attack North Korea as necessary because of &#8220;continued provocations&#8221; by Pyongyang, despite North Korea not having said much of anything in recent weeks, <a type="internal">other than being concerned that Trump has declared war</a> during the many, many times he&#8217;s talked about destroying North Korea.</p> 
<p>While Trump has largely been driving the North Korea war hysteria for months on end, he&#8217;s been virtually the sole instigator of such talks lately, condemning diplomacy on a near-daily basis,and insisting that &#8220; <a type="internal">only one thing will work</a>&#8221; against them, ominously threatening to show us all what that is &#8220;pretty soon.&#8221;</p> 
<p>Repeated threats to &#8220;totally destroy&#8221; North Korea have been among his most favored talking points on any subject since the UN General Assembly. Mattis&#8217; talk of keeping the Army ready to carry out that threat only adds to concern that the US could start a massive war at any moment.</p> Last 5 posts by Jason Ditz
Mattis: US Army Must Be Ready to ‘Confront’ North Korea