Mattis vows U.S. role in Asia, more pressure on N. Korea

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Saturday that North Korea represents an "urgent military threat" and pledged to apply more pressure until Pyongyang permanently abandons its nuclear ambitions."We have a deep and abiding commitment to reinforcing the rules-based international order," Mattis said in his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, billed as Asia's annual premier security forum, in Singapore.Mattis said the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump has been encouraged by China's preparedness to cooperate with the international community toward denuclearization of the Korean Pe…READ FULL ARTICLE