Official North Korean media reports that Kim said the Navy needed to be modernized “in view of the enemies’ recent aggressive attempts and character of military actions.”

Kim said the United States is “getting more frantic than ever,” and that the Navy should “fully arm the officers and men of the units and sub-units at all levels with our Party’s Juche-oriented naval and underwater war methods and focus on developing new strategic and tactical plans for getting familiar with ever-changing patterns of naval warfare,” according to official state media.

Kim’s comments come as the United States, South Korea and Japan hold trilateral military drills in the Sea of Japan.

The U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Benfold joined Japan’s JS Haguro and the Republic of Korea’s Yulgok Yi I for exercises simulating the interception of ballistic missiles.

All three vessels are equipped with the Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System, which is designed to detect and intercept ballistic missiles in the skies and is also equipped with a system to allow the interceptor to navigate in the vacuum of space.

Kim also reportedly raised the specter of nuclear war in his speech.

“Owing to the reckless confrontational moves of the U.S. and other hostile forces, the waters off the Korean Pennisula have been reduced into the world’s biggest war hardware concentration spot, the most unstable waters with the danger of a nuclear war,” the North Korean leader said.

The famously guarded North Korean leader appeared with his daughter for the event.

U.S. officials took a muted tone on Kim’s comments.

When asked by a reporter about Kim’s reference to nuclear war, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said, “I just don’t have anything to say specifically about these comments.”

“We just conducted a trilateral exercise that followed the historic Camp David summit. It brought together even closer the leaders the United States, Japan, and the ROK,” Jean-Pierre said.