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China’s military build-up is a current threat and not a future threat, according to United States Secretary of the Air Force Frank Kendall.
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The American engineer, lawyer and executive made the comments during a keynote address to Air and Space Force personnel at an Air & Space Forces Association’s 2024 Air, Space & Cyber Conference convention near Washington earlier this week.
“I’ve been closely watching the evolution of (China’s) military for 15 years. China is not a future threat; China is a threat today,” Kendall said.
The Chinese Communist Party continues to heavily invest in capabilities, operational concepts and organisations designed to defeat Western nations in the Western Pacific region, in particular, weapons capable of targeting US land and sea assets like air bases and aircraft carriers, he said.
“China continues to expand its nuclear forces and its ability to operate in cyber space. We can expect all these trends to continue.
“I am not saying war in the Pacific is imminent or inevitable. It is not ... But I am saying that the likelihood is increasing and will continue to do so.
“To prevent conflict, we must be ready; [and] to prevail in conflict, we must be ready.
“The efforts of our national security teams and our allies and partners across the world have been successful, so far, in limiting the scale of conflict.
“That success has come as a direct consequence of the US military, including, importantly, US Air Force presence throughout the region.”
Earlier this week, a US Department of Defense delegation concluded the latest round of military-to-military talks with Chinese counterparts. US officials reportedly emphasised the importance of maintaining open lines of communication for responsibly managing competition.
Michael S Chase, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, Taiwan and Mongolia, led the US delegation to Beijing for the 18th iteration of the Defense Policy Coordination Talks between the US and China.
The two sides discussed a range of regional and global security issues as part of the exchange, including US concerns over China’s support for Russia’s defence industrial base and the impact that support is having on European and trans-Atlantic security.
The US delegation also underscored the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, raised concerns about ongoing provocations from North Korea, and urged China to encourage stability and de-escalation in the Middle East.
In January, senior US and Chinese military officials resumed the US-China Defense Policy Coordination Talks at the Pentagon. Prior to that, the high-level talks were last held in September 2021.
US Secretary of the Air Force Kendall also discussed the potential for Russia to remain a threat in the region.
“While Russia will be weakened from years of war, NATO will be even more resilient,” Kendall said.
“We’re also deepening our partnerships with our traditional allies in Europe.
“This will significantly enhance our maritime strike capability and that of our Norwegian, Canadian and Australian allies and partners... This is integrated by design and action.
“My promise to you is that I will spend whatever time I have left in public service working as hard as I can to get the Department of the Air Force the resources that it needs to be successful, and to successfully deter our adversaries, if needed, to achieve victory.”
