conflict
\n WASHINGTON
\nA four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 \u2014 most likely over Taiwan \u2014 and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year.
\nIn an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was later confirmed as genuine by the Pentagon, the head of the Air Mobility Command, General Mike Minihan, said the main goal should be to deter \u201cand, if required, defeat\u201d China.
\n\u201cI hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,\u201d Minihan said.
\nLaying out his reasoning, Minihan said Taiwan\u2019s presidential elections next year would offer Chinese President Xi Jinping an excuse for military aggression, while the United States would be distracted by its own contest for the White House.
\n\u201cXi\u2019s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025,\u201d he added.
\nThe memorandum also calls on all Mobile Command personnel to go to the firing range, \u201cfire a clip\u201d into a target and \u201caim for the head.\u201d
\nA Pentagon spokesperson responded to an AFP email query about the memo saying, \u201cYes, it\u2019s factual that he sent that out.\u201d
\nSenior US officials have said in recent months that China appears to be speeding up its timeframe to seize control of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.
\nChina staged major military exercises in August last year, seen as a trial run for an invasion after a defiant visit of solidarity to Taipei by then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who at the time was second in line to the White House.
\nThe United States switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but sells weapons to Taiwan for its self-defense.
\nA growing number of US lawmakers have called for ramping up assistance, including sending direct military aid to Taiwan, saying that Russia\u2019s invasion of Ukraine underscores the need for early preparation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
conflict WASHINGTON A four-star US Air Force general has warned of a conflict with China as early as 2025 \u2014 most likely over Taiwan \u2014 and urged his commanders to push their units to achieve maximum operational battle readiness this year. In an internal memorandum that first emerged on social media on Friday, and was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310349,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-310321","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n