Monitoring Desk
ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: A four-star United States Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025, most likely over Taiwan, and urged his commanders to push their army force units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year.
US air command stance
According to Arab News, in an internal memorandum that emerged on social media on Friday and later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, the head of the Air Force Command, General Mike Minihan, said the main aims should be to deter “and if required, defeat” China.
“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we could fight in 2025,” Minihan said.
Laying out his reasoning, Minihan said Taiwan’s presidential elections next year would offer Chinese President Xi Jinping an excuse for military aggression. At the same time, the United States would be distracted by its contest for the White House.
“Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025,” he added.
The memorandum also calls on all mobile command personnel to go to the firing range, “fire a clip” into a target and “aim for the head.”
A Pentagon spokesperson responded to an AFP email query about the memo, saying, “Yes, it’s factual that he sent that out.”
