U.S. Rep. Jim Banks said Wednesday he would support a U.S. military response to North Korea after that nation's test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile that could have reached Alaska.
Banks, R-3rd, described the ICBM launch Tuesday as “a line-in-the-sand moment.”
“Militarily, I believe a response is not just warranted, it is necessary to show North Korea's leadership that we will not tolerate” the Asian country's weapons programs, he said in an interview in downtown Fort Wayne.
Banks said President Donald Trump's administration “has not just the authority but the responsibility to respond in a military manner.” He called North Korea and its leader, Kim Jong Un, “the most serious, imminent threat that we face to our national security today.”
The freshman legislator from Columbia City, who is a member of the House Armed Services Committee and a Navy Reserve, said any U.S. show of force should consist of “whatever is necessary to deter North Korea from their continued advancement of intercontinental ballistic missiles and the threat of acquiring nuclear warheads.”
“I believe a military response is warranted. What would it look like? I'll defer to the president's military leadership,” Banks said.
Without U.S. intervention, North Korea “will continue to advance their technologies and potentially up their reach to provide for far more destruction.”