Defense Secretary James Mattis is in Silicon Valley Thursday, visiting the Defense Innovation Unit Experimental in Mountain View, as tensions between North Korea and the U.S. heighten.
President Donald Trump issued a new threat to North Korea on Thursday, demanding that Kim Jong Un's government "get their act together" or face extraordinary trouble. He said his previous "fire and fury" warning to Pyongyang might have been too mild.
Addressing reporters' questions in Mountain View, Mattis said that the effort to contain North Korea is "diplomatically led."
"What is our readiness and what steps are you going to take against North Korea if they take any possible action against our country or any other country?" a reporter asked.
"I understand the question, very valid, but I don't tell the enemy in advance what I'm going to do. Our readiness ... We're ready," Mattis responded.
During his first official visit to DIU-x, Mattis will meet with staff and discuss with key leaders in the technology community how the Defense Department "can leverage new commercial technologies and methodologies and further expand initiatives designed to accelerate fielding capabilities to the warfighter," Davis said.
Mattis also will tour Google’s main campus in Palo Alto.
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Mattis will also visit Naval Base Kitsap and the Amazon headquarters in Seattle before he returns Aug. 11, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said.
The Associated Pres contributed to this report.
