According to NBC, citing internal documents, a senior US Air Force commander warned his subordinates to brace for war with China over Taiwan in just two years.
General Mike Minihan, the head of Air Mobility Command, said in a memo obtained by the outlet and confirmed by US officials that because both the US and Taiwan will be “distracted” by their presidential elections in 2024, Beijing will be able to make a move against the self-governed island.
“I’m hoping I’m wrong. “My gut says I’ll fight in 2025,” the memo stated, according to the report. The document directs all Air Mobility Command wing commanders and other Air Force operational commanders to report on all major efforts related to a potential standoff with China within one month.
The memo also tells US service members in AMC to “fire a clip into a 7-meter target with the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most. “Aim for the head,” according to NBC. US commanders are also encouraged to take risks during drills. “If your approach to training is comfortable, you are not taking enough risk,” Minihan wrote.
While an AMC spokesperson confirmed the memo’s authenticity, an unnamed Pentagon official told NBC that “these comments do not represent the department’s view on China.”
Tensions over Taiwan rose after then-US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi visited Taipei in August last year, despite strong objections from the Chinese leadership, and a number of other Western officials followed suit.
The visit of a senior US official was viewed by Beijing as a violation of Washington’s One-China policy.
Chinese President Xi Jinping stated in October that, while Beijing seeks peaceful “reunification” with Taiwan, it “will never promise to give up the use of force” and reserves the right to “take all necessary measures” to achieve this goal.
Under the One-China policy, Beijing regards Taiwan as a sovereign Chinese territory. Since 1949, when nationalists fled the mainland with US assistance after losing the Chinese Civil War to communists, the island has been ruled by nationalists.
