Thursday 30 March 2023

Pentagon demands $842B budget as America prepares for war against China

 The Department of Defense (DoD) is demanding approval of $842 billion out of the $6.9 trillion budget proposal for the fiscal year (FY) 2024. This will be allocated in the preparation for a future war with China, Pentagon officials said.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley confirmed in Congress during the budget hearing that they need more money to plot war against the communist Asian nation.

“This is a strategy-driven budget and one driven by the seriousness of our strategic competition with the People’s Republic of China (PRC),” Austin said in testimony before the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense.

According to them, China is the “most comprehensive and serious challenge to U.S. national security strategy.” And lately, U.S. military leaders have been speaking more explicitly about how they are preparing for a direct war with China despite the risk of nuclear war. Biden even vowed to defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.

Milley, who is set to retire later this year, said communist China’s actions are leading to confrontation and potential conflict with its neighbors and possibly America. He also insisted that the massive budget proposal is meant to deter war.

“Deterring and preparing for a conflict is extraordinarily expensive, but it’s not as expensive as fighting a war. And this budget prevents war and prepares us to fight it if necessary,” Milley said.

“This budget includes a 40 percent increase over last year’s for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative to an all-time high of $9.1 billion,” Austin added. “That will fund a stronger force posture, better defenses for Hawaii and Guam, and deeper cooperation with our allies and partners.”

Just recently, Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Moscow, fueling concerns that PRC will step up its support for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.

“The growing alliance between China and Russia, two nuclear powers, and Xi’s overtures to Putin during the Ukraine war are troubling,” Austin said, adding that the U.S. had not yet seen China provide arms to Russia. But if China does, “it would prolong the conflict and certainly broaden the conflict potentially not only in the region but globally.”

Members of the panel, including Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) made it clear that while they support the ongoing U.S. assistance to Ukraine, “the days of blank checks are over,” as they questioned the administration’s ultimate goal of obtaining the massive defense budget. 

China warns Biden administration to stop arms sales to Taiwan

Critics are already wary of how much the country has spent to support Ukraine in its war against Russia. Now, the Biden administration has already started funneling hundreds of millions into Taiwan to prepare the Taiwanese for a potential conflict with China.

The president just signed the 2023 “National Defense Authorization Act” (NDAA) that gives $2 billion in loans for Taiwan that would be funneled to U.S. defense contractors. The U.S. Department of State recently announced that America is selling missiles for F-16 fighter jets and other weapons to Taiwan.

Analysts warn that this will only goad China and risk another dangerous and costly proxy war for the U.S., similar to what is going on with Russia and Ukraine right now.

According to the Pentagon, arming Taiwan serves U.S. national, economic and security interests by supporting the recipient’s continuing efforts to modernize its armed forces and maintain a credible defensive capability. Meanwhile, China is not backing off.

“China will act firmly to defend its own sovereignty and security interests,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said during a press briefing. Wang stressed that China has always been opposed to U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. “China is calling on the United States to stop selling arms to Taiwan and military contacts between Washington and Taipei,” he called out.

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