WASHINGTON -- The combined forces of South Korea and the United States stand fully ready and capable to defend against any threats from North Korea, the top US military official said Wednesday.

Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, also said the countries closely monitor their joint readiness to make sure they are capable.

"The forces that we have on the Korean Peninsula, in combination with our ROK allies by the way, which is a very capable military, are in fact capable of defending and defending very. very well against the North Korean threat on the Korean Peninsula," he said in a pre-recorded speech delivered at the annual Sedona Forum hosted by the Washington-based McCain Institute for International Leadership think tank.

ROK stands for South Korea's official name, the Republic of Korea.

Milley said the combined forces take their slogan -- Fight Tonight -- very seriously.

"You know the slogan on the Korean Peninsula is Fight Tonight, but that's very real. That's not fake. That's not just a bumper sticker," said the Army general.

"So our readiness on the Korean Peninsula, and I've served there quite a while ago as a battalion commander, but we monitor very closely... and obviously staying on top of it as the (JCS) chairman, our readiness is very good."

He noted denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula may require "matters of policy."

"But from a military standpoint, militarily, we are ready to defend if necessary. We hope that doesn't happen and we hope deterrence holds," said Milley. (Yonhap)