China Could Win Military Conflict with US in Lightning-Fast Campaign: Think Tank Report
Experts on the United States military have released a damning report that details a way we could lose to China in the near future, in part thanks to deficits that have been decades in the making.
The report comes from University of Sydney’s United States Studies Centre, which published the paper last week, according to Newsweek. While the report does detail a possible scenario in which the U.S. might be defeated, don’t expect Chinese troops to be marching down Main Street anytime soon.
The projected Chinese victory could come as part of a conflict in the Indo-Pacific region.
The region is expected to bring tension in the future as its major energy resources open to competition between China and the U.S.
Strategically, the Indo-Pacific region is vital for China. Along with their belt and road system, a waterway connecting Beijing to the resource-heavy African continent, where China has been upping investments, will be crucial for the communist nation’s long-term goal of becoming an international superpower.
According to the report, years of political infighting, budget constraints and a counter-terror focus have put our military at a mighty disadvantage when it comes to fighting another great power.
“Repeated failures by Congress to pass regular and sustained budgets has hindered the Pentagon’s ability to effectively allocate resources and plan over the long term,” the report states.
“Growing partisanship and ideological polarization — within and between both major parties in Congress — will make consensus on federal spending priorities hard to achieve.”
For China, this potential war would likely be fought on their terms and their turf. Relying heavily on land-based missiles, the Chinese can easily render our naval supremacy a moot point within any coastal battery’s range.
Any action by China to conduct a lightning-fast takeover of Taiwan or other nearby islands would likely be backed up by armed and ready anti-ship missiles. Unable to operate safely in their range, the response of the U.S. Navy would be severely blunted.
In the case of a small island, the invasion may be over before the U.S. can mount a response.
“By making it difficult for US forces to operate within range of these weapons,” the report says, “Beijing could quickly use limited force to achieve a fait accompli victory — particularly around Taiwan, the Japanese archipelago or maritime Southeast Asia — before America can respond, sowing doubt about Washington’s security guarantees in the process.”
While short-range missiles can only protect the immediate coast, intermediate Chinese missiles can reach Guam all the way from the communist mainland.
“Many US and allied operating bases in the Indo-Pacific are exposed to possible Chinese missile attack and lack hardened infrastructure,” the report warns.
“Forward deployed munitions and supplies are not set to wartime requirements and, concerningly, America’s logistics capability has steeply declined.”
If years of political gridlock and mismanagement have put the United States here, how long will it take to build our forces back to where they need to be?
According to the report, one essential tool in countering China comes in the form of cooperation with countries near to the communist nation.
Japan, Australia and others would give the United States the extra leg needed in a confrontation with China.
Until our military is again capable of fighting China on their doorstep, leaders in the military and government need to keep a close eye on the situation.
Our nation cannot afford a loss of this magnitude.
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