North Korea represents the most “imminent” threat to the U.S., but pre-emptive strikes and military conflict are not viable solutions, an expert panel told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington on Tuesday.

Dr. Victor Cha, Dr. Aaron Friedberg, Kelly Magsamen and Dr. Ashley Tellis discussed a variety of ways to address long-standing security issues in the Asia-Pacific region, though generally advised against military solutions.

“We should not kid ourselves here… A conflict on the peninsula would be unlike anything we have seen in decades. North Korea is not a Syria. It’s not an Iraq. The consequences could be