MINOT AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. \u2014 Vice President Mike Pence, in a visit to one of America\u2019s most potent nuclear bases, vowed Friday that the U.S. will keep up economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
With a huge B-52 bomber looming in the background, Pence told some 250 airmen at Minot Air Force Base that \u201cthere is no greater force for peace in this world\u201d than the U.S. nuclear arsenal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cUnder President Trump\u2019s leadership, we will make sure that our nuclear deterrent is stronger than ever before \u2014 modern, robust, flexible, resilient, and ready to confront any and all enemies of peace with a rapid, effective and overwhelming response,\u201d Pence said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pence touched only briefly on North Korea, spending much of his speech thanking the airmen of the only U.S. base capable of nuclear strikes by both plane and missile. Minot has one of the nation\u2019s two B-52 bomber bases. The base also oversees 150 of the Air Force\u2019s 450 Minuteman 3 nuclear missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pence got a mission briefing that included various aspects of military preparedness, including nuclear, along with Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and commanders of the base\u2019s missile and bomb wings. Pence also inspected a B-52 and visited a missile launch facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His visit came six weeks after Defense Secretary James Mattis did the same in a tour widely seen as aimed at reminding North Korea of U.S. powers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pence has been meeting with top intelligence agencies in recent months and has received highly classified briefings with the National Security Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Director of National Intelligence and other intelligence agencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trump\u2019s administration has sought to increase pressure on North Korea through U.N. Security Council sanctions and other diplomatic efforts, but North Korea hasn\u2019t budged from its goal of building a full-fledged nuclear arsenal, including missiles capable of striking the U.S. mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Separately on Friday, Mattis was visiting the Demilitarized Zone that separates North Korea from South Korea. Mattis accused North Korea of threatening global order and said the Trump administration remains committed to compelling the North to accept complete nuclear disarmament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Thursday, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on 10 North Korean officials and organizations over human rights abuses and censorship. A rare military exercise involving three of the U.S. Navy\u2019s aircraft carrier strike groups is being planned for next month in the Asia Pacific.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Associated Press writer Blake Nicholson contributed to this report from Bismarck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Vice President Mike Pence, in a visit to one of America\u2019s most potent nuclear bases, vowed Friday that the U.S. will keep up economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile programs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":37310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":10,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3063],"class_list":["post-34235","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-flashpoints"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"EIBUE2CINFDBVP6T5WZ6SBAC4I","arc_canonical_url":"\/flashpoints\/2017\/10\/27\/pence-will-keep-pressuring-north-korea-to-drop-nuke-plans\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\n