On Saturday, September 16, 2023, Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall warned that China was building up its military to prepare for a potential war with the United States, and he said America must optimize its forces to counter the rising threat.
Kendall made these remarks at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfighter Symposium in National Harbor, Maryland. He said that China is developing new weapons and technologies at a rapid pace, and that it is creating a military that is capable of challenging the United States in the Indo-Pacific region.
“Our job is to deter that war and to be ready to win if it occurs,” Kendall said, according to Modern Diplomacy.com.
“We’re all talking about the fact that the Air and Space Forces must change, or we could fail to prevent and might even lose a war.”
Kendall said that the United States must respond to the Chinese threat by optimizing its own forces. This means focusing on developing new weapons and technologies that can counter China’s military capabilities, and it means training forces to fight in a joint, all-domain manner.
“China has been reoptimizing its forces for great power competition and to prevail against the U.S. in the Western Pacific for over 20 years.”
“China has been building a military capability specifically designed to achieve their national goals and to do so if opposed by the United States,” he added.
Kendall’s remarks come at a time of heightened tensions between the United States and China. The two countries have been engaged in a trade war for several years, and they have also been competing for influence in the Indo-Pacific region.
Kendall’s warning about China’s military buildup is a reminder that the United States faces a serious challenge from China. The United States must respond to this challenge by taking steps to strengthen its own military and to deter China from taking any aggressive actions.
Here are some specific things that the United States can do to counter the Chinese threat:
Invest in new weapons and technologies, such as hypersonic missiles, artificial intelligence, and directed energy weapons.
Train forces to fight in a joint, all-domain manner. This means that forces from different branches of the military must be able to work together seamlessly and communicate effectively.
Strengthen alliances and partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region. This will help to deter China from taking any aggressive actions and will also give the United States a more robust network of partners in the region.
The United States must take these steps to ensure that it remains the leading military power in the world and to deter China from taking any actions that could threaten its security or its interests.
