Retired Lt. Col. Ralph Peters told Fox News host Bill Hemmer on Wednesday that he does not believe in "threatening" enemies of the United States like North Korea, but instead "killing them."
"Bill, first of all I don't believe in threatening our enemies, I believe in killing them," Peters said. "War should always be a last resort, but we are coming to the point in North Korea because of the utterly botched diplomacy because of the inanity of our approach to China on all this."
He went on to say that military conflict may become inevitable in order to protect the United States.
"The primary reason for our government isn't Social Security or health care or anything else, it's to defend our people and our territory and North Korea is making wanton threats," Peters said.
"We have the technical capability to militarily do anything we want on North Korea right up to wiping it off the map and leveling its mountains," Peters said. " My concern is that over a couple of generations now, our military has been schooled into the ideal, is to minimize casualties, even enemy casualties—break stuff, but don't hurt people."
Hemmer said that he thinks that mindset changed a lot after the Sept. 11 terrorists attacks, despite it lasting decades before.
"If you want to take out their nuke and missile programs, it's not enough to destroy the facilities, the machinery, the tools in the dead of night. You've got to take out the dormitory areas where the scientists and technicians, the researchers, and the skilled workers. You've got to be willing to kill people. If you're not willing to do that, they can rebuild the infrastructure," Peters said.
Peters said the worst thing that the United States can do in a war against North Korea is is "doing it half-way."
"If we must go to North Korea with our military force, we need to hammer them and give the world a lesson of what we can really do," Peters said.
Trump delivered a strong warning Tuesday against North Korea if the rogue country makes any future threats against the United States, according to the Washington Free Beacon.
"North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," Trump said. "They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
"[Kim Jong-un] has been very threatening beyond a normal statement, and as I said, they will be met with fire, fury, and, frankly, power, the likes of which this world has never seen before," Trump concluded. "Thank you."