Amid Trump-Kim War of Words US Troops Remain Unlocked and Unloaded

Despite a series of bellicose statements and mutual threats by both Washington and North Korea, the US military is showing no sign of preparing for military actions.

United States President Donald Trump said Wednesday that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un made a "very wise decision" to reconsider his threats to attack Guam with missiles. Earlier this week, Kim pulled back on his threat to test fire ballistic missiles off the coast of the US Pacific territory of Guam.

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!" Trump said via Twitter.

Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 16 августа 2017 г.

​His words came as a relief after weeks of warmongering statements and mutual threats by both Washington and Pyongyang.

However, according to Defense News, despite the recent war of words between Trump and Kim, the US military stayed calm and seemingly unaware of the rhetoric.

"If you watch cable news or follow the president’s Twitter feed, you might be under the impression that the U.S. is heading to war with North Korea. But somebody, it seems, forgot to loop in the U.S. military. … But while the rhetoric is nearing a fever pitch in D.C., out in the Pacific you’d never know the world was on the brink of nuclear war," an article on Defense News read.

Sources said that the frenzied rhetoric did not match what was really happening in the Pacific. US forces in the Pacific were not put on combat alert. Moreover, no American citizens were advised to leave the regions and no sailors were recalled off leave to prepare for emergency operations.

The situation at US Pacific Command (PACOM) was normal and its forces performed their duties as usual while the national leaders were exchanging bellicose threats.

"Nobody at PACOM is setting their hair on fire; it’s calm and professional. It‘s really D.C. rhetoric that’s driving this whole thing," a source familiar with the situation told Defense News.

Tensions between the two countries escalated dramatically since the inauguration of Donald Trump in January. The crisis has deepened even further in recent months amid a series of North Korean nuclear tests and ballistic missile launches conducted in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. Last month, Pyongyang conducted two tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles.

The US and North Korea have exchanged a series of warmongering statements over the last week.

Trump said that North Korea "will be met with fire and fury" if Pyongyang does not reign in its "threats to the US."

In response, North Korean state-run news agency KCNA reported the North Korean Strategic Force is carefully considering examining an operational plan to attack Guam with ballistic missiles.

Trump later told reporters, "Let's see what he [North Korean leader Kim Jong-un] does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody’s seen before what will happen in North Korea."

The US president also said that US military solutions are "fully in place, locked and loaded" should North Korea "act unwisely."

"Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully [North Korean leader] Kim Jong Un will find another path!" Trump stated on Twitter.

However, on Tuesday, the North Korean leader backtracked on his threats, saying that Washington "should first make the right decision and show through actions if they wish to ease tension on the Korean Peninsula and prevent a dangerous military clash," according to a report by KCNA.