(CNN) Defense Secretary James Mattis begins his second year in the Trump Administration with perhaps just one absolutely crucial task -- stopping President Donald Trump from going to war against North Korea. The CIA has concluded that North Korea could be just a "handful of months" away from being able to put a nuclear warhead atop a missile that could hit the US. That assessment may well be the reason that in December, national security adviser HR McMaster said the potential for war with North Korea is "increasing every day." Nobody claims North Korea is likely to attack. Mattis, in a joint appearance with the South Korean defense minister last week, said North Korea is "a threat to the entire world."

Source: CNN January 30, 2018 06:10 UTC