A top U.S. military official says he believes the “Christmas gift” that North Korea said it was preparing for the United States is likely referring to a long-range missile test.

General Charles Brown, commander of Pacific Air Forces, made the remark on Tuesday at a breakfast roundtable in response to a question from The Hill, a Washington-based political newspaper.

Brown said he would expect that "some type of long-range ballistic missile would be the gift,” adding that “it’s just a matter of does it come on Christmas Eve, does it come on Christmas Day, does it come after the New Year.” 

When bombarded with questions on what Pyongyang could do, Brown said there is a range of possibilities. 

He said the U.S.’ job is “to backstop the diplomatic efforts,” adding that if such efforts fall apart, the U.S. would be ready. The commander also said there’s a lot of stuff the U.S. did in 2017 when tensions were high that it can "dust off pretty quickly and be ready to use." 

Brown’s remarks come after a North Korean Foreign Ministry official said earlier this month that Pyongyang was preparing a "Christmas gift" for Washington, while warning that the present the Donald Trump administration receives depends on events in the coming days.

[Photo : YONHAP News]