US Defence Secretary Mattis tells North Korea it's 'game on' over Guam
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis cautioned North Korea that it would be "game on" if the rogue nation fired missiles towards the US or its territories, including Guam.
In addition to the 170,000 inhabitants, Guam, which has officially been a US territory since the establishment of the Guam Organic Act in 1950, is home to roughly 7,000 US military personnel and their families.
Donald Trump had previously said he would unleash, "fire and fury" if North Korea continued to provoke the United States, to which the Kim Jong-un responded to by outlining a plan to fire four Hwasong-12 missiles to splash down in the water 18-25 miles off the coast of Guam.
Mattis told Pentagon reporters Monday that any such actions could, "escalate into war very quickly."
"If they shoot at the United States, I'm assuming they hit the United States -- if they do that, then it's 'game on'," when asked if he considered the Pacific Island located 8,000 miles away from Washington DC to be part of the US, he said, "Yeah, it sure is."
While the Defence Secretary remained vague on what exactly the US response would be if North Korea came good on its threats, he noted that US surveillance outposts and systems would know if any missiles had been launched, "within moments."
He denied that his words themselves were a declaration of war, saying that was for the President to decide and, "perhaps Congress," but firmly stated, "the bottom line is we will defend the country from an attack."
All this comes just hours after Marine General Joseph Dunford sought to reassure South Korean officials that a diplomatic solution to the tensions with North Korea was Trump's priority.
Mattis, who had also previously advised the President to focus on a diplomatic resolution to the situation, said he wasn't trying to reignite tensions, "It's not that I'm over here, Dr Strangelove," but "you don't shoot at people in this world unless you want to bear the consequences."