Diplomatic and economic tensions between the US and China have escalated recently. For American four-star general Michael Minihan, all signs point to a war with China in 2025. But former General Jack Keane warns that the US military is not sufficiently prepared for this eventuality.
Speaking on Fox News on Monday, Keane said the U.S. could be ill-prepared if such a conflict were to arise.
“The reality is that we are not as prepared as we should be. And we have to focus on that. We do not have effective military deterrence in the region. China has more ships, more planes, and more missiles than the United States. Our allies are also in the same boat,” said the former American general.
We prevent war by being prepared for it
And it remains an open question how well Taiwan itself is prepared for war. For example, the island is still waiting for promised American arms deliveries. “We have to help Taiwan and solve our own problems,” he said. “That’s really what we have to focus on. Let’s take risks and be prepared, and that’s how we’ll avoid war. We prevent war by being prepared for it.”
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In addition, he said he disagreed with General Minihan’s assessment that war with China was “exceptional.” “He clearly raises the prospect that war will break out within two years,” Keane said.
“However, the truth is that neither the general, nor I, nor anyone else really knows that answer. And this is only a subjective analysis that leads to a certain conclusion. His verdict is outstanding war. I believe that war will not happen in the short term, but it is certainly possible.”
In a memo signed by Minihan, first reported by ABC News, the four-star Air Force general predicted that a war between China and Taiwan would break out in 2025 and that the United States would be fighting on the island nation’s side. .
“I hope I’m wrong. My intuition is that we will be fighting in 2025,” Minihan wrote in a memo that was confirmed. The US Department of Defense hastened to deny Minihan: “These comments are not representative of the Department’s view of China.” However, many Western observers fear that war with China is inevitable.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken will visit China on February 5 and 6. The purpose of the visit is to ease diplomatic and economic tensions between the two countries. Blinken became the first US Secretary of State to visit China since 2018. The White House announced the visit in November, but no dates were announced at the time. Despite the wave of coronavirus currently sweeping through China, the visit may still take place.
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Source : HLN