Marine Corps General Says China Is A ‘Full Military Peer’ To The United States

The U.S. Army, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB): China is America’s military equal now and in any future fight. The general in charge of keeping the U.S. Marine Corps sustained in a fight dismisses the notion that China poses a “near-peer” threat to the U.S. It is a full military peer, and any fight with China will make the currently paused conflict with Iran pale by comparison.

“There is no threat that looms larger than the People’s Republic of China,” Lt. General Stephen Sklenka said. “Don’t listen to this garbage about them being a near peer. They’re a peer because they rival us in nearly every single measure of national influence.”

As the “lead strategist” and former Deputy Commander of INDOPACOM, Sklenka said he “got to be pretty familiar with how General Secretary Xi Jinping was thinking and what his intentions are.”

Epic Fury also offers some sobering lessons, Sklenka noted. While U.S. is able to pour forces into theater via uncontested skies and largely uncontested seas, Iran was still able to inflict a great deal of pain on America and its allies during the fighting. And, it still is, economically through an ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz. A fight with China would be far worse, Sklenka cautioned.

“We’re about two months into combat operations with Epic Fury. We’ve got service members who have tragically been wounded and killed by Iran. They’ve launched hundreds of drones and ballistic missiles at our bases and our allies throughout the region … reinforcing … that the bases that we have, they’re no longer administrative garrison sanctuaries. We really need to start looking at our bases as warfighting formations…

Faced with the rapidly growing China threat, the U.S. has to start hardening its bases now, not just overseas, but at home in U.S. too. Read more at TWZ.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of the top defense news of the last couple of days from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:

NATIONAL SECURITY

Aligning U.S. and Canadian defense industrial bases. Both neighbors are racing to rebuild their defense industrial bases, recognizing that future conflicts will be won by the ability to produce weapons at scale. But they cannot succeed alone — and importantly, they do not need to start from scratch.

DEFENSE POLITICS

It’s NOT a ‘quagmire’: War Secretary Pete Hegseth responded to questions from congressional Democrats on future of Iran war and attacked lawmakers who questioned conflict’s purpose and goals, calling them “reckless, feckless and defeatist.”

Staff Sgt. Theodore Bergan, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Pentagon confirmed release of $400 million in funds for Ukraine already authorized by Congress, after top Senate Republican overseeing defense spending criticized Pentagon leaders for withholding the money.

Two dozen House Republicans are urging military to let Americans bring their guns onto millions of acres of recreation areas at lakes and wetland areas that an Army agency manages.

Air Force’s 5-year plan: $12 billion to buy nearly 28,000 cheap cruise missiles and recently asked industry to push ranges of some of those munitions beyond 1,200 miles.

US POWER OVERSEAS

World’s largest, most powerful, aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, will be heading home following record 300+ day deployment that included war against Iran and capture of Venezuelan narco-leader Nicolás Maduro.

Using bombs delivered by fighters, HIMARS rockets, 105mm towed howitzers, 81mm mortars, and Javelin and TOW missiles, U.S. Marines help gun down enemy (aka: Chinese) beach invaders in simulated Philippines defense.

CIA deaths in car crash in Chihuahua state, along with two state law enforcement officers, expose fragile U.S.-Mexico security ties.

IRAN CAMPAIGN

Central Command has asked to send Army’s long-delayed Dark Eagle hypersonic missile to Middle East for use against Iran, seeking longer-range system to hit ballistic-missile launchers deep inside the country.

Capt. Ryan DeBooy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

U.S. troops assigned to units in Middle East received threatening messages on Monday from Iranian-linked cyberattack group known as Handala Hack.

Operation Epic Fury in Iran has cost roughly $25 billion so far.

Analysts say $25 billion figure cited by Pentagon for Iran war underestimates total cost by large amount.

U.S. military commander to brief Trump on new military options against Iran.

REGIONAL/GLOBAL AFTERMATH

Israeli maps outline expanded zone of military control in Gaza.

Israel now using netting to protect combat vehicles against scourge of Hezbollah fiber-optic controlled first-person view killer drones.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

President Trump discussed possible ceasefire in four-year war in Ukraine in phone call with Vladimir Putin.

Volodymyr Zelenskiy has leveraged Ukraine’s expertise in drone warfare into series of successful diplomatic deals during visits to the Middle East and Europe, gaining valuable allies, but now it must deliver.

President Of Ukraine from Україна, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

SPACE THREATS

Space Force selects firms to build counter-surveillance payloads for satellites capable of detecting emissions from enemy ground-based radars that track U.S. satellites.

Space Force to expand its data transport constellation in next few years, kick-starting competition to bring on new commercial capabilities and procuring nine launches in FY 2027 to support the hybrid satellite space data and communications network.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Tungsten breaks price records as China export curbs, military demand boost investment.

Tmy350, CC BY-SA 4.0 , Wikimedia Commons

US MILITARY

Navy and Marine Corps have extended lifespan of lead Wasp-class amphibious assault ship by five years and may do same for other vessels in amphibious fleet.

Navy named 14 ships it intends to deactivate and remove from the fleet during current fiscal year.

As Marine Corps faces congressionally mandated deadlines to evaluate brain injury impacts of weapons blasts and start implementing mitigation measures, changes are already being made to limit blast exposure in training.

Air Force releases plan to “aggressively” recruit and retain AI professionals, aligned with War Department’s broader strategy to improve country’s AI advantage.

END of PDB

FOR MORE DETAILED, UNCENSORED, INTELLIGENCE, AND ANALYSIS FROM PAUL CRESPO, SUBSCRIBE TO HIS SUBSTACK.

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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Paul Crespo

Paul Crespo is the Managing Editor of American Liberty Defense News. As a Marine Corps officer, he led Marines, served aboard ships in the Pacific and jumped from helicopters and airplanes. He was also a military attaché with the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) at U.S. embassies worldwide. He later ran for state and federal office, taught political science, wrote for the editorial board of a major newspaper and had his own radio show. A graduate of Georgetown, London and Cambridge universities, he brings decades of experience and insight to the issues that most threaten our American liberty – at home and from abroad. To read more go to: paulcrespo.com.

1 Comment
    paul

    “Intensions” are irrelevant. Capabilities ae what matter. And China is very capable.

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