In the wake of North Korea's recent spate of anti-American rhetoric, the U.S. Navy has moved a guided-missile destroyer in the Pacific nearer to the nation, according to a report from NBC World News.
Defense officials say that the destroyer, the USS McCain, is capable of intercepting and eliminating a launched missile, although they add that the country has given no concrete indication it intends to do so:
"I would note that despite the harsh rhetoric we are hearing from Pyongyang, we are not seeing changes to the North Korean military posture, such as large-scale mobilizations and positioning of forces," a defense official told NBC.
South Korea's new president, Park Geun-hye, moved to assure its neighbor that any provocation would initiate a quick response:
"If there is any provocation against South Korea and its people, there should be a strong response in initial combat without any political considerations," Reuters reported from a meeting of high-level officials Monday.
For comments and feedback: editorial@rttnews.com