US 'would lose a war with China fought in the Pacific, is unable to defend Taiwan from an invasion and there are fears the Guam military base is at risk NOW', Pentagon sources warn
- 'Eye-opening' Pentagon war games revealed the US is vulnerable to China and an attack from the superpower would lead to the US 'suffering capital losses'
- US defense sources told The Times that one Pentagon simulation based on the year 2030 resulted in the US being overwhelmed by the nation's force
- Every US base in the Indo-Pacific Command region is considered to be at risk of attack now with the US island territory Guam a particular concern
- Taiwan is the 'most volatile issue' between the two nations, sources said
- A source said the Pentagon is developing more hypersonic weapons and arming marine units along China's seas with anti-ship missiles in preparation
- The worrying analysis is expected to come to light in the Pentagon's 2020 China military power report this summer
- Tensions between the US and China have escalated in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the globe
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
The US would lose a war with China fought
in the Pacific, is unable to defend Taiwan from an invasion and fears
the Guam military base is at risk now, US defense sources have warned.
'Eye-opening' Pentagon war games have revealed growing fears the US is
vulnerable to threats from China and that any attack would lead to the
US 'suffering capital losses', the sources said.
The worrying analysis is expected to come to light in the Pentagon's 2020 China military power report this summer.
The stark warning comes as tensions continue to mount between the two nations after US President Donald Trump has blasted China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and repeatedly suggested the nation lied about the extent of its crisis.
The USS Ronald Reagan. The US would lose a war with China fought in the
Pacific, is unable to defend Taiwan from an invasion and fears the Guam
military base is at risk now, US defense sources have warned
US defense sources told The Times that
one Pentagon simulation based on the year 2030 when China would have
new attack submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers resulted in the
US being overwhelmed by the nation's force.
The threat is more immediate than 2030, however, with every US base in
the Indo-Pacific Command region considered to be at risk of attack now
because China has ramped up its supply of medium-range ballistic
missiles.
The US island territory Guam, home to three US military bases, is a particular concern, the games revealed.
'China has long-range anti-ship ballistic missiles and hypersonic [more
than five times the speed of sound] missiles,' one US defence source
told The Times.
Analysis from US experts on China have issued similar warnings.
Bonnie Glaser, director of the China power project at the Centre for
Strategic and International Studies in Washington and a consultant for
the US government on east Asia, told The Times that Taiwan is the 'most
volatile issue' between the two nations and fears tensions could erupt
in a nuclear war.
Taiwan has increasingly found itself caught in the middle of the political games between the two superpowers.
China has taken advantage of the world’s struggle with Covid-19 to mount
a disturbing display of military firepower and push its claims to land
in the South China Sea
The Communist Party in China claims Taiwan as its own territory, but it does not have sovereign control there.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has made it clear he wants Taiwan back
under its 'One China' principle by 2050 and this week demanded the
island accept Chinese status if it wants to be represented at the World
Health Organization assembly next week.
Beijing military activities have been ramped up in the South and East
China Seas, including harassing carriers and constructing military
outposts on artificial islands it has built in the disputed waters.
China's sole operational aircraft carrier, the Liaoning in the East
China Sea. US defense sources told The Times that one Pentagon
simulation based on the year 2030 when China would have new attack
submarines, aircraft carriers and destroyers resulted in the US being
overwhelmed
Chinese Navy carries out exercises in the South China Sea in
2018. Beijing military activities have been ramped up in the South and
East China Seas while Taiwan is said to have become the 'most volatile
issue' between the two nations
Meanwhile, the US has also increased its military presence in the seas
and antagonized China by increasing its ties with Taiwan through
boosting arms sales to the country.
'Every simulation that has been conducted looking at the threat from
China by 2030 have all ended up with the defeat of the US,' said Glaser.
'Taiwan is the most volatile issue because that could escalate to a war with the US, even to a nuclear war.
'In the Pentagon and state department and the White House, China is now
seen as the biggest threat. We have been too passive in the past.'
The US island territory Guam, home to three US military bases, is a particular concern to US defense officials, sources said
One source told The Times the regional commander Admiral Philip Davidson
has also sounded warnings and the Pentagon is switching its approach in
preparation.
There's a focus on developing more hypersonic weapons, sending more
long-range, ground-launched cruise missiles to the Asia-Pacific region,
and arming marine units along China's seas with anti-ship missiles, they
said.
'Mark Esper [the defence secretary] is aggressively moving to build the
capabilities that we need to deter China from committing to a major
confrontation,' they said.
On Friday, President Trump announced the US is developing what he called
a 'super-duper missile' which he boasted is '17 times' faster than
missiles available right now.
'We are building incredible military equipment,' he said as he staged a
'very special moment' and unveiled the new flag of the Space Force
Friday.
President Xi Jinping (right) and President Trump (left) in 2017.
Tensions between the US and China - and the two leaders - have escalated
in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the globe
'We have, I call it the super-duper missile, and I heard the other night
17 times faster than what they have right now, when you take the
fastest missile we have right now. You've heard Russia has five times
and China's working on five or six times, we have one 17 times.'
The same day, the US revealed a Taiwanese company would set up a factory
in Arizona to make computer chips in the US - taking custom away from
China.
Tensions between the US and China have escalated in recent months as the coronavirus pandemic has ravaged the globe.
The US has led the charge against China over its response to the pandemic.
President Donald Trump has accused Beijing of a series of cover-ups amid
the outbreak and said in April he had seen evidence that the virus
started in the Wuhan virology laboratory.
He also warned he could impose tariffs of $1 trillion on China in retribution for the pandemic.
Beijing has hit back at the claims with a spokesman for China's Foreign
Ministry last month warning the 'enemy is the virus, not China'.
