US four-star general warns of war with China in 2025
World
Assertion not supported by US military assessments, say Pentagon authorities
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A four-star US Air Force general s assertion that the US will engage China in combat in the following two years was not supported by American military assessments, according to Pentagon authorities.
General Mike Minihan, commander of the Air Mobility Command, wrote to the top brass of its nearly 110,000 members, saying, "I pray I am wrong. "My instinct is I ll fight in 2025,"
A four-star Air Force general delivered a memo to the officers under his command on Friday predicting that the United States and China will be at war in two years and instructing them to prepare by shooting "a clip" at their target and "aiming for head."
Gen. Mike Minihan, commander of Air Mobility Command, wrote in a document issued on Friday that NBC News was able to receive, "I pray I am incorrect. My instinct is I ll fight in 2025.
With approximately 50,000 military men and close to 500 aircraft, Air Mobility Command is in charge of transportation and refuelling.
In a document, Minihan predicted that because both Taiwan and the United States would hold presidential elections in 2024, Xi Jinping, the president of China, will have a chance to intervene on Taiwan while the United States will be "distracted."
In his list of preparation objectives, he states that one of them is to create a "fortified, ready, integrated Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight and win inside first island chain."
All Air Mobility Command air wing commanders as well as other operational commanders of the Air Force are instructed in a letter to report to Minihan by February 28 any significant preparations for the China conflict.
He instructs AMC staff to "fire clip into 7-meter target with full awareness that unrepentant lethality counts most" throughout the month of February. Target the head. He gives the instruction to update emergency contacts and records.
He gives all AMC employees the following directive in March: "Consider your personal affairs and if a visit to the legal office of your servicing base is necessary to make sure you are legally ready and prepared."
