Article snippet: Amid heightening rhetoric over an attack on the U.S. island territory of Guam, Secretary of Defense James Mattis told reporters Monday that his department will know “within moments” where a North Korean missile is headed, were it to be launched. "We'll know if it's going towards Guam within moments," he said, adding later, "We know swiftly after it's launched where it's going to land." Mattis also cautioned that “we'll take it out” if the missile is located heading to the U.S. territory off the coast of Philippines. However, Mattis said that President Donald Trump would be the one to decide America’s response if the missile is found to have been launched into Guam's surroundings waters. "Well, then it becomes an issue that we take up however the president chooses," he responded. Mattis chose stronger words for the hostile North Korean regime during the press gaggle Monday in comparison to his words last week during an event in California. Mattis said that if North Korean leader Marine Corps general stressed that the Defense Department will do its “best to make sure it doesn’t hit the U.S.” When asked to clarify his comments on an escalation of war, Mattis said, "War is up to the president, perhaps up to Congress. The bottom line is that we will defend the country from an attack. For us, that's war. That's a war-time situation." Mattis also pointed out that making the decision to go to war can’t be done in “advance,” given a “host of things going o... Link to the full article to read more