The Air Force’s General Miki Minihan has warned of a potential conflict with China by 2025, urging Air Force commanders to be ready for battle and to take steps towards preparation.
Gen. Minihan, the head of the Air Mobility Command, believes that the war could arise due to the 2024 American and Taiwanese elections, which he thinks will distract both nations and allow China to act on the island they claim as their own.
According to NBC News, the four-star general communicated his prediction in a Friday memo to all air wing commanders and other Air Force operational commanders, writing, “I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me [we] will fight in 2025.”
In the memo, he emphasized the need for a “fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team ready to fight and win inside the first island chain.”
Minihan also urged stronger training: “If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risk.”
The general recommended aiming for the “head” in firearms training and asked his commanders to report back to him with their preparations by Feb 28.
The Department of Defense (DOD) has responded, saying that the general’s memo does not reflect the department’s view on China.
DOD Press Secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder stated that the military’s focus remains on working with allies and partners to preserve peace.
“The National Defense Strategy makes clear that China is the pacing challenge for the Department of Defense and our focus remains on working alongside allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific,” Ryder said.
However, in March 2021, then-commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Adm. Philip Davidson told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing that “Taiwan is clearly one of [China’s] ambitions.
“I think the threat is manifest during this decade, in fact, in the next six years,” Davidson added.
