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| How the US is preparing for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan | |
| 2024-02-05 | |
But for U.S. war planners preparing for a potential conflict over Taiwan, the high-profile Talisman Sabre exercises had a far more discreet value: They helped create new stockpiles of military equipment that were left behind in Australia after the drills ended in August, U.S. officials told Reuters. The United States and its allies are increasingly worried that in the coming years Chinese President Xi Jinping could order his military to seize Taiwan, the democratically governed island China considers its own territory. So, the U.S. military is taking a hard look at its own military readiness and trying to play catch-up in a critical area: its logistics network. The equipment from Talisman Sabre included roughly 330 vehicles and trailers and 130 containers in warehouses in Bandiana, in southeastern Australia, the Army says. The amount of equipment, which the United States military has not previously acknowledged, is enough to supply about three logistics companies, with as many as 500 or more soldiers, focused on ensuring supplies reach warfighters. It's the kind of materiel that's needed for a future drill, a natural disaster, or in a war. "We're looking to do this more and more," Army General Charles Flynn, the top Army commander in the Pacific, told Reuters in an interview. "There's a number of other countries in the region where we already have agreements to do that," he added, without naming specific countries. Reuters interviews with more than two dozen current and former U.S. officials found that American military logistics in the Pacific is one of the greatest U.S. vulnerabilities in any potential conflict over Taiwan. U.S. war games have concluded that China would likely try to bomb jet fuel supplies or refueling ships, crippling U.S. air and sea power without having to battle heavily armed fighter jets or sink America's fleet of surface warships, according to current and former officials and experts. In response, the United States is trying to spread its military logistics hubs across the region - including warehouses in Australia, officials told Reuters. Asked about Reuters' conclusions, the Pentagon said that the Department of Defense is working with allies to make U.S. forces more mobile and distributed. The Chinese embassy in Washington did not directly address the Reuters report, but a spokesperson said the United States should "stop enhancing military contact with the Taiwan region" and "stop creating factors that could heighten tensions in the Taiwan Strait." The Australian embassy in Washington referred questions to the Ministry of Defense, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Critics say Washington's network is still too concentrated and that the government hasn't put enough money or urgency toward the effort. "When you really dig down a couple of layers, the intel community is blinking red as far as for the next five years. And yet some of these timelines (to address the risks) are 10, 15, 20 years long," said Congressman Mike Waltz, a Republican who leads the House subcommittee overseeing military logistics and readiness. "There's a mismatch there." Related: Taiwan: 2024-02-04 Ukrainian Perspective: Invasion of Ukraine: February 3, 2024 Taiwan: 2024-02-04 China's President Xi's only daughter Xi Mingze, married an American and lives here in the United States. Taiwan: 2024-02-03 The World Is on Fire, but Here Is the Defense Department's Highest Priority | |
| Posted by:Skidmark |
| #9 remind me to refresh my pages first. I missed the following comments.. Duh! |
| Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2024-02-05 19:13 |
| #8 ^^^ "will" |
| Posted by: Seeking Cure For Ignorance 2024-02-05 19:12 |
| #7 Interesting. What if the Hamas protest is a trial run for larger pro China protests when Taiwan is invaded? |
| Posted by: Jefe101 2024-02-05 18:44 |
| #6 😎 |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-02-05 17:54 |
| #5 ..ah yes, 'will' |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-02-05 17:44 |
| #4 ^"till"????????? |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-02-05 17:21 |
| #3 American consumers till impact China harder. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2024-02-05 17:11 |
| #2 Badly. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2024-02-05 16:02 |
| #1 First show you can defeat the Houtis. |
| Posted by: Grom the Reflective 2024-02-05 15:48 |