Headline Roundup • March 16th, 2023
Is the US Military Prepared for a Potential War Against China?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
As tensions rise between the United States and China, some are sounding alarms regarding the U.S. military’s ability to deter conflict and engage in a potential war against China.
The New York Times Opinion published an essay by Ross Babbage, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments in Washington. Babbage outlined shortcomings in the U.S. military, determined that “building a stronger deterrence by addressing such weaknesses is the best means of averting war. But this will take time. Until then, it is important for Washington to avoid provocations and maintain a civil discourse with Beijing.”
An analysis in the Wall Street Journal outlined the past 30 years of American military development, finding that “preoccupation with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan” delayed the military in its shift to preparation for a potential war between major powers such as Russia and/or China, stating that the U.S. “isn’t yet ready, and there are major obstacles in the way.”
An opinion piece in the National Review cited Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Western nation’s response as jump-starting a stalled defense–industrial base, writing, “the decision to help Ukraine, born of tragedy, might have been the very moment the West awakened to the need to defend itself.” The piece called for further development and investment in defense and industrial power, stating, “We should build on what we are accomplishing in Ukraine as we prepare ourselves for a bigger fight we want to deter — and can’t afford to lose.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
Ricardo Tomás
A major war in the Indo-Pacific is probably more likely now than at any other time since World War II.
The most probable spark is a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. President Xi Jinping of China has said unifying Taiwan with mainland China “must be achieved.” His Communist Party regime has become sufficiently strong — militarily, economically and industrially — to take Taiwan and directly challenge the United States for regional supremacy.
The United States has vital strategic interests at stake. A successful Chinese invasion of Taiwan would punch a hole...
Mass Communication Specialist First Class Tyler R. Fraser/US Navy
The U.S. has been supplying Ukraine weapons in its defensive war for a solid year now. At the same time, China’s threat to the U.S. is, for the average American, certainly in its sharpest focus yet. A threat that seemed more abstract and far away was made all too real recently, with China’s brazen overflight of its spy balloon in our airspace. Following that, there was scorn from Chinese Communist Party officials when Biden officials tried to smooth over the incident diplomatically.
Navy Admiral Charles Richard ominously warned last year...
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Andrew Levinson
Clint Hinote returned from a deployment in Baghdad in the spring of 2018 to a new assignment and a staggering realization.
A classified Pentagon wargame simulated a Chinese push to take control of the South China Sea. The Air Force officer, charged with plotting the service’s future, learned that China’s well-stocked missile force had rained down on the bases and ports the U.S. relied on the region, turning American combat aircraft and munitions into smoldering ruins in a matter of days.
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