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North Korea is a 鈥渃lear and direct threat鈥� to the United States, according to the top US military officer in the region, who adds that 鈥� even in a decades-long cyclical relationship of threats followed by cool down periods 鈥� he can鈥檛 recall 鈥渁 greater time鈥� of tension with North Korea.

The comment by came in congressional testimony Tuesday by Adm. Samuel Locklear, head of US Pacific Command, with one lawmaker likening the situation to the beginning of World War I. Sen. Angus King (I) of Maine pointed to a greater danger that there could be a 鈥淕uns of August鈥� event 鈥� a reference to the book by Barbara Tuchman, considered required reading within the US military, that illustrates how Europe 鈥渟tumbled鈥� into World War I through a series of miscalculations.

Admiral Locklear did not dismiss the statement. 鈥淚 share your concern about the seriousness of a provocation that would lead to a miscalculation or an escalation that would go kind of up and out pretty quickly,鈥� he told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

So quickly, in fact, that 鈥測ou could see significant combat activity from the North is a very short time line,鈥� he added. 鈥淚t is a very dangerous situation.鈥�

Pentagon officials have been trying to ratchet down tensions in recent days, deciding on Monday to delay a routine reliability test of a Minuteman-III intercontinental ballistic missile at Vandenberg Air Base in California so it would not be misconstrued by North Korea, given that it is a 鈥減articularly tenuous time鈥� in the region.

But Locklear's comments Tuesday underscore how seriously the Pentagon is viewing the threat. He told lawmakers that US assets in the region could knock down a missile fired from North Korea if it were seen to be a threat. Various intelligence reports suggest North Korea could fire a missile imminently.

The threat is not just from missiles, Locklear said. North Korea鈥檚 armaments in the demilitarized zone make the possibility of a miscalculation even more dangerous, Locklear added.

鈥淭hat amount of artillery, through a miscalculation or a provocation, would put Seoul at risk,鈥� Locklear said. 鈥淎nd it is a primary concern of US Forces Korea and mine.鈥�

Even as the US ratchets back its own rhetoric and even long-planned military exercises, other nations could be doing more to help calm regional tensions, Locklear said.

China 鈥渃ould do more鈥� to help North Korea ease tensions, he said, particularly since it is the isolated dictatorship鈥檚 only influential ally and primary food supplier (Locklear noted in testimony that the North Korean economy is only 2 percent the size of of South Korea鈥檚 economy.)

The links between Iran and North Korea also remain 鈥渧ery much a concern to me,鈥� Locklear said.

That鈥檚 because when North Korea goes through its 鈥渃ycles of provocation, one of the things they rely on to fund their ability to do what they do is through proliferation and movement of arms sales around the world,鈥� he said.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any direct knowledge that there鈥檚 been 鈥� in this near-term case that there鈥檚 been 鈥� a collusion between Iran and North Korea,鈥� he added, 鈥渂ut it doesn鈥檛 mean it hasn鈥檛 happened.鈥�