The US military is once again hyping up the "China threat" to vie for the budget.

Different from former US President Biden, who occasionally made highly provocative remarks on the Taiwan issue, Trump and his administration were not willing to talk too much about this issue. Judging from Trump's public statements, he seemed more concerned with the trade status quo with his rival. However, as the article by Reuters wrote, in reality, the US is preparing extremely seriously for a possible war.

In the opening of the article, Reuters cited Brigadier General Doug Veric of the US Air Force warning that if military tensions escalate across the Taiwan Strait, California, which produces strategic bombers, may be attacked. It is also expected to suffer large-scale cyber attacks, leading to long-term disruptions in power supply and other national infrastructure. As both the US and its rival prepare for potential wars, their preparations themselves have become a kind of "signal." Currently, the scale of their preparations has reached the highest level in decades.

In the Philippines and the Western Pacific, US military engineers are rebuilding airfields abandoned since World War II. The rival is heavily investing in long-range missiles aimed at deterring US warships, especially aircraft carriers intending to enter its territorial waters. However, the new Trump administration considers one of its top priorities to establish a missile defense system in the United States - the so-called "Golden Dome" system - to intercept conventional weapons and long-range nuclear weapons. It is worth noting that Washington believes that any conflict with the rival would be more destructive than all anti-terrorism operations conducted by the US since September 11, 2001. Moreover, the US is also considering a demonstration version, namely the possibility of using nuclear weapons locally in future conflicts.

The article by Reuters also wrote that a major problem facing the two countries is ensuring the continuity of supplies and logistics. The US Indo-Pacific Command has repeatedly mentioned using drones, including robotic submarines, to blockade the rival ships in the Taiwan Strait. However, the US military simultaneously acknowledges that the rival possesses significant capabilities to strike US aircraft and vessels. In this situation, ensuring the US's supplies and logistics will be particularly prominent. The reduction in the inventory of certain weapons such as Tomahawk cruise missiles has raised concerns among some US officials. Finally, Reuters cited Republican Senator Tom Cole from Oklahoma, who said, hopefully there will be no military conflict because once it breaks out, the only real choice would be a short-term conflict, as we do not have enough ammunition for prolonged warfare.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1832572475312128/

Disclaimer: This article solely represents the author's personal views.