Vice President Michael Pence visited
Minot Air Force Base (AFB) in North Dakota Friday, Octber 27th, and in doing so, became the first sitting Vice
President since 1971 to visit America's nuclear missile arsenal. His
visit comes after President Trump's Visit (to North Dakota but not necessarily
to Minot) on September 6, and Secretary of Defense Mattis' visit on September
13.
Each of those officials made
"public" remarks which were reported by media, and made
"private" remarks - far more important - which have not been
reported. Those alleged private remarks:
"We are entering a
very dangerous time, and I have come here personally to tell you that you may
receive a Launch Order in the near future. I want you to know that we
have planned for all contingencies, but it is POSSIBLE that things may escalate
beyond what we believe will take place. If you receive a properly formatted
launch order, you launch. Don't waste time trying to confirm
the order, because it is not standard operating procedure for you to delay like
that. If you get a launch order, carry it out."
Pence vowed that the U.S. will keep up
economic and diplomatic pressure on North Korea to abandon its nuclear and
ballistic missile programs.
The base is home to both B-52 bombers
and intercontinental nuclear missiles.
With a huge B-52 in the background,
Pence thanked the roughly 250 assembled airmen for their service. He told them
President Donald Trump is committed to maintaining America’s nuclear powers as
a force for peace.
Pence’s visit to the Minot base
coincided with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis’ visit to 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.
Defense Secretary James Mattis toured
the base in September, in a visit widely seen as a reminder to North Korea of
U.S. nuclear capabilities.
U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer says the nuclear
assets in North Dakota have never been more relevant.
Minot has one of the nation’s two B-52
bomber bases. The base also oversees 150 of the Air Force’s 450 Minuteman III
nuclear missiles.
Sen. John Hoeven says the
administration is putting much-needed funding into the base to maintain a
“modern nuclear force.”
The fact that the three top officials
in the United States have now ALL personally visited America's Nuclear Arsenal
does not bode well for North Korea.
The fact that ALL THREE have
carried a similar message directly to the nuclear missile crews, is extremely
noteworthy. ALL THREE MEN - The President, The Secretary of Defense and,
now, the Vice-President -- have ALL told the crews that we have analysed and
researched every aspect of what we're intending to do. Despite our best
analysis, the "unknown" in this affair is whether the enemy
"responds" or "reacts."
If they "respond" then the situation
remains rational. If, however, they "react" then things could
escalate VERY fast.
Secretary of Defense Mattis, during his
previous visit, reportedly remarked
"This is the first
time in world history that one nuclear-armed nation intends to take down
another nuclear-armed nation. There is no precedent for this. We hope
things will go well, but if they go bad, it could be the worst kind of
bad."
CORRECTION:
PENCE WAS THE FIRST VP TO VISIT MINOT SINCE 1971. THE
"OFFICIAL" NARRATIVE IS THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP DID NOT VISIT THE BASE
ON SEPTEMBER 6, BUT INSTEAD ONLY GAVE A SPEECH ON TAX REFORM 100 OR SO MILES
AWAY FROM THE BASE. (WINK, WINK?)
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