October 6, 2021
Air Force General: China is Preparing for High-End Fight with United States
Beijing has spent decades studying American force structure and tactics to exploit weaknesses. The Air Force is looking to turn the tables with next-generation aircraft.
by Kris Osborn
It is no secret that China’s presence as a peer competitor is driving the intensity of the U.S. Air Force’s move to embrace a future fighter roadmap. Gen. Mark Kelly, commander of the Air Force’s Air Combat Command, explained the importance of the future fighter roadmap for preparing for a conflict with China during the Air Force Association’s 2021 Air, Space & Cyber Conference last week.
While the U.S. Air Force spent years fighting in the Middle East with equipment developed for Cold War competition, China reconstituted its force to focus on countering the United States.
“We went to Afghanistan 20 years ago and we focused on providing unwavering and world-class support to a counterinsurgency in a very permissive environment,” Kelly said. “During that same 20 years, China organized, trained, and equipped its military singularly focused and singularly invested across every domain in a high-end fight. Singularly focused and singularly invested on fighting us.”
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/air-force-general-china-preparing-high-end-fight-united-states-194934
