The likelihood of war breaking out with North Korea is "increasing every day," warned America's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, Saturday.
McMaster spoke at the Reagan Presidential Library, where he cautioned that the threat America faces from Kim Jong Un's nuclear arsenal is growing.
"Every time he conducts a missile launch and nuclear test, he gets better," McMaster said. "And whether it’s a success or failure isn’t as important as understanding that over the years, he’s been learning from failures, improving, and thereby increasing his threat to all of us."
"We are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem, not just us, right, but the United States, all of our allies and partners," McMaster continued. "There are ways to address this problem short of our conflict, but it is a race because he’s getting closer and closer and there’s not much time left."
McMaster said that of all the threats America faces, North Korea is the most dangerous. "The greatest immediate threat to the United States and to the world is the threat caused by the rogue regime in North Korea and continued efforts to develop a long-range nuclear capability."
The former general spoke with Fox News host Bret Baier. Here's a transcript:
BAIER: "So let me get a little specific on North Korea, we are being told that the ICBM, the most recent launch, broke up on reentry. Is North Korea having trouble on that re-entry step and thereby right now the U.S. overall is not at threat from their ballistic missiles?"
McMASTER: “Well, it’ll take some time to assess each of these missile launches but what is clear is that every time, every time he conducts a missile launch and nuclear test, he gets better. And whether it’s a success or failure isn’t as important as understanding that over the years, he’s been learning from failures, improving, and thereby increasing his threat to all of us.”
BAIER: "So the potential of war with North Korea increased since the latest launch?"
McMASTER: "I think it’s increasing every day, which means that we are in a race, really, we are in a race to be able to solve this problem, not just us, right, but the United States, all of our allies and partners. As we know, China has tremendous coercive economic power over North Korea. I mean, you can’t shoot a missile without fuel, right, and so there are — there are ways to address this problem short of our conflict, but it is a race because he’s getting closer and closer and there’s not much time left."