Donald Trump ‘will be left with NO CHOICE’ but to unleash massive strike against North Korea and trigger ‘catastrophic’ nuclear war, Brit admiral warns
Tough-talking North Korea has threatened the US with ‘full out war'
DONALD Trump could be left with no choice but to unleash a massive strike against North Korea which could trigger ‘catastrophic’ nuclear war, a former head of the Royal Navy has warned.
Admiral Lord West told the it is “inconceivable” America would allow Kim Jong-un to develop a ballistic missile which actually has a functional warhead that could strike the western United State.
Lord West said: “The consequences will be catastrophic and it really worries me.”
The warning comes after tough-talking North Korea threatened the US with 'full out war' as it's claimed Kim Jong-un may have the technology to hit California with a nuclear missile.
Today's worrying 'war' statement comes as the US supercarrier Carl Vinson heads back to the Korean Peninsula, which is already on a war footing.
The statement from North Korea's Foreign Ministry reads: "The state of affairs on the Korean peninsula and the region are extremely perilous because of madcap American nuclear war manoeuvres aimed at trampling on our sovereignty and right to survival.
"Now that we possess mighty nuclear power to protect ourselves from US nuclear threat, we will respond without the slightest hesitation to full-out war with full-out war and to nuclear war with our style of nuclear strike, and we will emerge victor in the final battle with the United States."
The threat comes as an expert has told how photographs from a recent North Korean military parade show the regime is closing in on having a nuke capable of hitting the US mainland.
Michael Duitsman, of the Center for Nonproliferation Studies, pointed out a small but troubling detail on one of the massive missiles.
Duitsman told that one weapon featured what looked like wound filament-reinforced plastic - a superlight alternative to metal that can withstand the incredible pressure of rocket motors.
"Part of the parade is them showing us what they're working on," Duitsman said. "They're showing us their intentions."
He said wound filament-reinforced plastic has up to 10 times the strength-to-density ratio of aluminium and could greatly reduce the weight of a missile - meaning it can fly further.
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Referring to the booster portion of the missile as a stage, Duitsman said, "The lighter the stage is, the less propellant you need and the more you can put on top of it."
In this case, a lighter missile could be used to carry a nuclear warhead capable of flying thousands of miles.
He revealed he Soviets and the US made similar breakthroughs when creating their ICBMs.
As rhetoric between the US and North Korea heats up, the residents of major west coast cities such as San Francisco, Portland and Seattle have begun top fear the worst.
However, denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula can still be achieved peacefully because of Washington's new engagement with China, US Vice President Mike Pence said on Saturday, despite growing fears North Korea could soon conduct a new nuclear test.
South Korea is on heightened alert ahead of another important anniversary in the reclusive North that could be the trigger for a new nuclear test or launch of ballistic missiles, with a large concentration of military hardware massed on both sides of the border.
Tensions have risen sharply in recent months after Pyongyang conducted two nuclear weapons tests last year and carried out a steady stream of ballistic missile tests in defiance of United Nations resolutions and sanctions.
President Donald Trump has vowed to prevent North Korea from being able to hit the United States with a nuclear missile but his deputy said in Sydney on Saturday a peaceful outcome was still achievable because of warming ties between Beijing and Washington.
"We truly believe that, as our allies in the region and China bring that pressure to bear, there is a chance that we can achieve a historic objective of a nuclear-free Korea peninsula by peaceful means," Pence said.
"We are encouraged by the steps that China has taken so far," he said at a joint news conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Earlier this week, Trump praised Chinese efforts to rein in "the menace of North Korea" after North Korean state media warned the United States of a "super-mighty preemptive strike".