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(CNN) North Korea's latest ballistic missile test has renewed discussion at the highest levels of the Trump administration about how military force could be used to stop Kim Jong Un's development of nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles.
朝鲜的最新导弹试射引发了特朗普政府高层的热烈讨论。讨论如何利用军事行动阻止朝鲜研发核武和导弹。
"For those who have said, and been commenting about a lack of an military option, there is a military option," national security adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters Friday, adding: "Now, it is not what we would prefer to do."
国家安全顾问 H.R. McMaster 星期五告诉记者，可能选择发起军事行动；但军事行动选项并不是我们的首选选项。
At the same press briefing, UN Ambassador Nikki Haley acknowledged that if sanctions and diplomatic pressure don't work, the UN may not be able to do much more.
在同一场新闻发布会上，联合国代表 Nikki Haley 承认如果制裁和外交施压不起作用，联合国可能也无法安排更多的行动。
"So, having said that, I have no problem with kicking it to (Defense Secretary) Gen. James Mattis because I think he has plenty of options," she said.
联合国代表 Nikki Haley 说，现在问题只能交给国防部长 James Mattis 将军。她相信将军有许多的可选选项。
Speaking Friday at Joint Base Andrews, the Air Force installation outside Washington, President Donald Trump emphasized the robustness of US military options. "After seeing your capabilities and commitment here today, I am more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming," he said.
特朗普总统提到，对处理威胁的美国军事选项有足够的信心。美国的军事选项是有效的和压倒性的。
According to North Korea's news agency, after the launch, Kim told top officials that the final goal of Pyongyang's efforts "is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option for the DPRK," the acronym for the country's official name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. "And he stressed the need to run at full speed and straight, continuing to qualitatively consolidate the military attack capacity for nuclear counterattack the US cannot cope with."
For years, much of the work on US military options for deterring the North Korean nuclear threat has centered around key initiatives, such as missile defense systems like the ground based Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system and long-range interceptors, as well as Aegis radar-equipped ships to shoot down incoming North Korean missiles.
Once the Trump administration came into office, there was a renewed look at so-called rapid-response options, such as "shows of force" that involve flying bombers over the Korean Peninsula to convince Kim the US means business.
But with no sign Kim is responding to diplomatic or sanctions pressure -- or the threat of force -- one of the key questions for military planners and intelligence analysts is what military option would actually work as a deterrent to Kim.
One senior US official says the problem right now in relying on a deterrence theory is "no one knows" what would actually deter the North Korean leader. The accepted theory in the military and intelligence community is Kim's top priority is his own preservation and that of his family. That goal, the US believes, would keep him from attacking the US outright.
Mattis acknowledged earlier this month that Trump has been updated on all military options, saying: "Any threat to the United States or its territories, including Guam, or our allies will be met with a massive military response -- a response both effective and overwhelming."
But what has emerged are two problems: first, knowing exactly where Kim has hidden his weapons so the US can use determine exact target locations for precision weapons to hit; and second, getting past hefty North Korean defenses to get to those weapons.
