A four-star US Air Force general said Washington anticipates a potential war with China in 2025 and asked his commanders to prepare for combat by aiming “for the head.”
Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, said the US’s primary goal should be to contain “and, if necessary, defeat” China, in a shocking internal memo signed by him and confirmed by the Pentagon.
The memorandum, which is circulating on social media, was first published by NBC News and is dated February 1 this year. It contains several pointers, including one titled “end state” and “risk”, as well as goals for projects from February to April this year.
“I hope I’m wrong. My intuition tells me that we will fight in 2025,” General Minihan said in a memorandum and laid out his case for predicting a potential conflict.
He said China will be watching next year’s Taiwan presidential election as it will give Xi Jinping an excuse to escalate military aggression in the region, and that year’s US presidential election will offer the Chinese president a “distracted America.”
“Xi Jinping’s team, mind and capability are lined up for 2025,” he said.
Under the “end state” sign, the general called for a “strengthened, ready, integrated and flexible joint maneuver group” to “fight and win within the first chain of islands.”
It is not clear which chain of islands General Minihan is referring to. The US and its regional allies, as well as China, are constantly seeking to outmaneuver each other in the contested South China Sea region.
The memorandum is addressed to all Air Mobility Command (AMC) wing commanders and other Air Force operational commanders.
For February, he orders them to report all major efforts in preparing the fight against China to the general by the 28th of the same month.
The General’s goal for February also instructs all AMC personnel to “shoot a clip at a 7-meter target with the full understanding that the most important thing is ruthless lethality. Aim for the head.”
All staff have been asked to update their records and emergency contact details, according to NBC News.
In March, the general asks all AMC personnel to “review their personal affairs and whether they should schedule a visit to the legal department of their service base to ensure they are legally ready and prepared.”
The memo asks staff to take some risk into account when training: “Run mindfully, not recklessly,” adding that “if you’re comfortable with your training approach, you’re not taking enough risks.”
The AMC has about 50,000 troops and about 500 aircraft. The Air Force Wing is responsible for transportation and refueling.
General Minihan also pointed to the use of commercial drone swarms to peer into one of the US options that would likely be considered in the event of a conflict with China.
According to the memo, KC-135 units were asked to prepare to “deliver 100 size and type production unmanned aerial vehicles from a single aircraft.”
The general, in his “commander’s intention”, also stated that this was “the first of eight monthly directives from me” and added that they were “non-negotiable”.
These remarks, however, were written off by the Department of Defense, saying they do not reflect the ministry’s view of China.
This was echoed by its spokesman, Brigadier General Patrick Ryder, who said the National Defense Strategy “makes it clear that China is a top priority for the Department of Defense and we remain focused on working together with allies and partners to keep the peace, free and open up the Indo-Pacific.”
The memo comes from his instructions to subordinate command groups, according to an AMC spokesman who confirmed the development on Friday.
“His order builds on last year’s groundbreaking Air Mobility Command effort to prepare the Mobile Air Force for future conflict if containment fails,” the spokesman said, according to NBC.
