Korea

America 'would use specially trained commandos to destroy nuclear and missile sites' in the event of war with North Korea

Any potential American military offensive against North Korea would include deploying special forces to destroy the Communist country's nuclear, missile, and nonconventional weapons sites, a senior commander told Congress on Tuesday.

Army Gen. Raymond A. Thomas, who heads US Special Operations Command, told lawmakers on Tuesday that the United States has special operations forces permanently stationed in the Korean peninsula, The Washington Free Beacon reported.

The Army, Navy, and Air Force can also deploy additional special forces if the need arises, as there are 8,000 specially trained troops in over 80 countries, Thomas said.

'We are actively pursuing a training path to ensure readiness for the entire range of contingency operations in which [special operations forces], to include our exquisite [countering weapons of mass destruction] capabilities, may play a critical role,' Thomas told a Congressional subcommittee on emerging threats.