NSA McMaster: 'We're Not Closer to War Than a Week Ago'

By    |   Sunday, 13 August 2017 11:07 AM EDT ET

ABC's "This Week"

Striking back at criticisms of President Donald Trump's rhetoric having amped up the military tensions with North Korea, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday "we're not closer to war than a week ago," pinning the true blame on past administrations.

"We're not closer to war than a week ago, but we are closer to war than we were a decade ago," McMaster told ABC's "This Week" with George Stephanopoulos.

"This has been a problem that we've procrastinated on for a long period of time, and now it's coming to a head, where the threat from North Korea – not only to the United States but the world – is very, very clear. And it demands a concerted effort by the United States, but with our allies and with all responsible nations."

McMaster praised the president and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson for their work to "bring together all nations" in the common goal of "denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula."

"Our response is we are prepared militarily to deal with this if necessary," McMaster told Stephanopoulos. "But we're taking all possible actions short of military action to resolve this very grave threat to the United States and the world. And that includes a very, a very determined diplomatic effort led by our Secretary of State. And it also includes increasing sanctions, increasing pressure on the north, to convince Kim Jong Un that this is not in his interests to continue this path of provocation and escalatory actions."

President Trump tweeted this week the U.S. military is "locked and loaded" in preparation of a response to aggressive action by North Korea.

This is not news, McMaster told ABC, as the U.S. military is always ready to react.

"The United States military is locked and loaded every day, and especially those who are on the front lines of freedom, such as those that are stationed in South Korea and those soldier, sailors, airmen, and Marines that are stationed in northeast Asia or rotate there," McMaster said. "So, as you know, we have tremendous military capabilities. We have a very high degree of readiness. And so the United States military is always locked and loaded.

"But the purpose of capable, ready forces is to preserve peace and prevent war. And George Washington said it: The most effective way of preserving peace is to be prepared for war."

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Politics
Striking back at criticisms of President Donald Trump's rhetoric having amped up the military tensions with North Korea, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said Sunday "we're not closer to war than a week ago," pinning the true blame on past administrations.
mcmaster, not, closer, to war, with trump, rhetoric
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2017-07-13
Sunday, 13 August 2017 11:07 AM
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