The military forces of North Korea are once again at their highest alert level as Pyongyang warns the United States of "horrible disaster" if the U.S. carries out its planned three-nation exercise off of the Korean peninsula.

According to a military statement issued by the North, the relationship between the U.S. and the North is “getting strained again,” the statement went on to say, “The US should bear in mind that the Korean people and army are highly alert to promptly and confidently cope with and foil blatant provocations of any hostile forces in the world with its own powerful military muscle.” A North Korean military spokesman told its state media that its troops have been ordered to “keep themselves ready to promptly launch operations at any time.”

The statement is addressing the three-day joint military exercise that was slated to start today but were postponed due to inclement weather in the region. The exercises are held on a regular basis between the U.S. and South Korea. THis particular joint exercise is believed to be a joint search and rescue exercise.

South Korea did not respond by raising its alert level on the news of the North doing so. South Korea’s Defense Minister Kim Kwan-jin stated today that there is no indication of any unusual military activity as a result of the raising of the military alert level. Even so, the South is closely watching the movements of the North Korean military according to a South Korean spokesman for that government.

This latest out of North Korea comes after Pyongyang re-started its nuclear reactor that had been partially disabled after talks earlier this decade. Private analysts report that the North has also conducted another long-range missile engine test.