The United States needs to continue to make clear that military force is an option when it comes to dealing with North Korea, according to U.S. Sen. Todd Young, R-Ind.
That is not to say there isn’t interest in seeing continued diplomacy efforts succeed, Young said during a discussion Friday with reporters and editors at The Herald-Times.
“With North Korea, there aren’t a lot of good moves left on the chess board,” Young said. “I do think (military conflict) can be avoided. It’s unclear whether or not that diplomatic goal of having Kim Jong Un give up nuclear weapons will be possible.”
Young was in the area to welcome the Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, Gen. Robert Nellerat, to Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane. Indiana’s other U.S. senator, Democrat Joe Donnelly, joined Young in hosting the visit Friday, which was intended to give the Marine Corps’ highest ranking officer an idea of the base’s importance to national defense.
Young described the visit as important, since it was the first time a Marine commandant had come to Crane. At a time when there is talk about constrained military budgets and more efficient operations, Young said he believes Crane workers are well-positioned to provide further services to the Marine Corps and other military branches.
During his visit to the H-T, the member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee talked at length about tension on the Korean peninsula and weighed in on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, more commonly known as the Iran nuclear deal.
North Korea
The situation in North Korea has changed, Young said, and he commended President Donald Trump’s administration for changing its policies in response.
The Republican said North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un has developed his own “Manhattan Project” to produce intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons. As such, the United States has adapted its policies to address that threat.