The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff called on U.S. service members to maintain readiness to deal with threats posed by North Korea and others while protecting themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mark Milley made the call on Thursday in a virtual town hall meeting with service members and Department of Defense civilians.

The JCS chief first urged service members to protect themselves and their families, stressing the importance of their health in protecting the American people. 

Then he said there's a lot of things that are not necessarily in the United States' interests that happen every day from terrorists to Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, and all kinds of other threats and challenges.

Milley said U.S. forces have been operating effectively within the COVID-19 environment and urged them to keep their eye on the ball and stay attuned to readiness.