Top Military Officer: U.S. Vigilant Following Kim Jong Il's Death

General Martin Dempsey, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Monday that the U.S. is on guard following the death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il, but that changes in America’s military policy towards the country will likely go unchanged.

“I don’t think you’ll see any change in our posture. There’s no change in our readiness position,” General Dempsey said during a townhall Monday with U.S. servicemembers at the Ramstein Airbase in Germany.

Dempsey, the  country’s highest ranking military officer, noted that the U.S. was aware that the North Korean leader had been in poor health for quite a while and has explored possible post-Kim Jong Il scenarios.

“We think we know what succession looks,” Dempsey said. “But we’re not certain of it.”

Kim, 69, reportedly died of a heart attack. He is expected to be succeeded by his twenty-something year old son Kim Jong Un.