U.S. Air Force General Predicts War With China In 2025

A four-star US Air Force general has said that Washington is expecting a potential war with China in 2025 and asked his commanders to prepare for battle by aiming “for the head,” Arpan Rai reported for The Independent.

Photo Insert: The US and its regional allies and China have consistently sought to one-up each other in the contested South China Sea (SCS).

General Mike Minihan, the head of the Air Mobility Command (AMC), said the US’s main goal should be to deter “and, if required, defeat” China, in a shocking internal memorandum signed off by him and confirmed to be genuine by the Pentagon.

The memo is addressed to all air wing commanders in the AMC and other Air Force operational commanders. For February, it orders them to report all major efforts to prepare for the fight against China to the general by the 28th of that month.

The memo, which has been circulating on social media, was first reported by NBC News and is dated February 1, 2023. It contains several pointers, including ones titled “end state” and “risk,” and also projects targets from February to April this year.

“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Minihan said in the memorandum and stated his reasoning for predicting a potential conflict.

He said China will be eyeing Taiwan’s presidential elections next year as they would offer Xi Jinping a reason to escalate military aggression in the region, with the US presidential elections in the same year offering up the Chinese president a distracted America.

“Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025,” he said.

Under the “end state” pointer, the general called for “a fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team” to “fight and win inside the first island chain.” It is unclear exactly which island chain General Minihan is referring to.

The US and its regional allies and China have consistently sought to one-up each other in the contested South China Sea (SCS).

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