Defense Secretary Says U.S. Will Respond Quickly If Threatened

Gates: North Korea’s nukes point to a ‘dark future’

U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates at the Asia Security Summit in Singapore on Saturday, May 30, 2009. (Photo credit: Wong Maye-E / AP)

May 29, 2009

SINGAPORE — U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates warned North Korea on Saturday that the United States would respond quickly if moves by the communist government threaten America or its Asian allies.

“We will not stand idly by as North Korea builds the capability to wreak destruction on any target in the region — or on us,” Gates told an annual international meeting of defense and security officials from Asia and the Pacific Rim.

Gates called North Korea’s nuclear program a “harbinger of a dark future” but said he does not consider it a direct military threat to the United States “at this point.” …

Gates offered no specifics on how the U.S. might respond to North Korea, militarily or otherwise, and has said there are no current plans to deploy more U.S. forces to the region. …

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