Senior US air force general warns of possible war with China by 2025
- Air Mobility Command chief Mike Minihan said the main goal should be to deter ‘and, if required, defeat’ Beijing
- He also called on his commanders to go to the firing range, ‘fire a clip’ into a target and ‘aim for the head’
In 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 “and, if required, defeat” China.
“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said.
“Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025,” he added.
Drones could play key role in PLA’s ‘final unification war’ on Taiwan
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.”
Senior US officials have said in recent months that China appears to be speeding up its time frame to seize control of Taiwan, a self-governing democracy claimed by Beijing.
The US switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 but sells weapons to Taiwan for its self-defence.