There has been no war between great powers for 80 years. Today, however, a military confrontation with Russia and China can no longer be ruled out, according to the most senior officer in the US armed forces, US Chief of Staff Mark Milley. He also believes that efforts to undermine the Western way of life should not be underestimated.
To avoid such a conflict in the future, the U.S. military must remain the strongest in the world, Milley said Thursday at a hearing before a subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives on the defense budget for fiscal 2024.
Beijing is moving towards confrontation
China remains the biggest challenge for the United States in the long run. The Asian country aims for dominance in the Western Pacific and Asia within ten years. By 2049, China aims to surpass the US in military capability, Milley said.
2049 is a symbolic year for the Chinese Communist Party as it marks the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China. China’s actions are evolving into confrontation and possible conflict with its neighbors and possibly the US, Milley warned. Russia also poses an “imminent threat” and remains “very dangerous,” the US chief of staff said. Both China and Russia have the means to threaten American interests and the American way of life.
US want to upgrade
The US government hopes that Congress will approve a defense budget of $ 842 billion (almost 780 billion euros). That’s $26 billion more than this year and $100 billion more than in 2022, according to a Pentagon press release. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at the House hearing that the size of the defense budget was mainly driven by “serious strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China”.
Source: Krone
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