A top congressional Republican said Sunday that he agrees with a memo from a four-star Air Force general who predicts the United States will be at war with China in two years.
In the memo sent Friday and obtained by NBC News, General Mike Minihan, head of the Air Mobility Command, wrote: “I hope I’m wrong. My gut tells me I’ll fight in 2025.»
When asked to comment on the prediction in a interview On “Fox News Sunday,” Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, who chairs the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said: “I hope he’s wrong, too. I think he’s right, however, unfortunately.»
McCaul also accused the Biden administration of «projecting weakness» on the world stage and argued that there are «very high» chances of war with China because of that.»
Later on «Fox News Sunday,» Rep. Adam Smith, D-W., a ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, rejected the prediction. Smith said that while «anything is possible,» he is «really worried when someone starts talking about war with China being inevitable.»
“I want to be completely clear. Not only is it not inevitable, it’s highly unlikely,» Smith said, about the possibility of a war with Beijing. «Generals should be very cautious when saying we are going to war.»
The Air Mobility Command has about 50,000 military personnel and about 500 aircraft and is responsible for transportation and refueling. The signed memorandum was addressed to all air wing commanders in Air Mobility Command and other Air Force operational commanders.
In his memo, Minihan instructed officers under his command to prepare by firing «one clip» at a target and «aim for the head.» He said that because both Taiwan and the US will have presidential elections in 2024, the US will be «distracted» and Chinese President Xi Jinping will have a chance to make progress in Taiwan.
Minihan outlined his goals for the readiness, including building «a fortified, ready, integrated and agile joint force maneuver team, ready to fight and win within the first island chain.»
The memo also directs all air wing comments to inform Minihan of all major efforts to prepare for the fight against China by February 28.