Hoosier Senators On North Korea Threat

The senators will be briefed by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Defense Secretary James Mattis, National Intelligence Director Dan Coats, and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford.

Following Wednesday's White House gathering, numerous administration officials who conducted the meeting traveled to Capitol Hill to brief members of the House.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) cast doubts Wednesday on the security of the White House facilitating a North Korea briefing to the U.S. Senate, calling the situation "a show".

Amid an escalating standoff with North Korea, the United States is seeking to tighten economic sanctions and pursue diplomatic measures with the aim of pressuring Pyongyang into dismantling its nuclear and missile programmes.

The same team also met with House members in the Capitol to outline the North's escalating nuclear capabilities and USA response options to what they called an "urgent national security threat".

Indiana's senators joined the rest of the Senate in meeting with top military and intelligence officials at the White House on Wednesday.

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And one unnamed Republican senator told the Washington Post that senators did not get "straight answers on what the policy is regarding North Korea" during the briefing.

South Korea's trumpeting of progress in setting up the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, comes as high-powered USA military vessels converge on the Korean Peninsula and as a combative North Korea signals possible nuclear and missile testing.

She says although North Korea's most recent missile launch failed, the threat can not be discounted. "However, we remain prepared to defend ourselves and our allies", it said.

Sen. Jeff Merkley, a Oregon Democrat, said on CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront" that they learned nothing new in terms of details on the administration's thinking on North Korea and any potential actions the USA could take in response to another nuclear test.

In recent weeks, Washington has expressed mounting concerns at Kim Jong-un's ambitions to develop nuclear warheads capable of striking the U.S. mainland. Gardner said the focus needs to be on pressuring the Chinese to address North Korea. The President also briefly attended the event. And America's Pacific commander said any North Korean missile fired at US forces would be destroyed.

Aides have also suggested the briefing is being held at the White House to make clear to North Korea that Washington is serious about a shift in policy when it comes to Pyongyang.

The meeting occurred as the US continued to deploy parts of a missile defense system to South Korea, known as the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD).

The USS Michigan arrived at a South Korean port on Tuesday.

"As the US has unsheathed a dagger to stifle the DPRK at any cost, the DPRK will stand against it with a sword of justice and cut the windpipe of the USA imperialists by dint of the strong revolutionary forces with the nuclear force, an almighty treasured sword, as their pivot", the foreign ministry warned.