Thread by @HoansSolo

U.S. defense secretary just now:

„Today, the Indo-Pacific is our priority theater of operations.
 
Today, the Indo-Pacific is at the heart of American grand strategy.“ #SLD22

„The Indo-Pacific is our center of strategic gravity. That’s central to the Biden Administration’s forthcoming National Security Strategy and to my Department’s National Defense Strategy.„

„Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is what happens when oppressors trample the rules that protect us all. It’s what happens when big powers decide that their imperial appetites matter more than the rights of their peaceful neighbors.„ #SLD22

U.S. defense secretary: „To stay at the cutting edge, we must invest in innovation across all domains, including space and cyberspace. So we recently made the Department’s largest-ever budget request for research and development: more than $130 billion.“ #SLD22

„Meanwhile, we’re working hard to develop new capabilities that will allow us to deter aggression even more surely, including stealth aircraft, unmanned platforms, and long-range precision fires.“ #SLD22

„And we’re on the cusp of delivering prototypes for high-energy lasers that can counter missiles. And we’re developing integrated sensors that operate at the intersection of cyber, EW, and radar communications.“ #SLD22

U.S. defense secretary: „As our National Defense Strategy notes, we all face a persistent threat from North Korea. The United States will always stand ready to deter aggression—and to uphold our treaty commitments and the will of the U.N. Security Council.“ #SLD22

US defense secretary: 🇨🇳 „adopts a more coercive and aggressive approach to its territorial claims. In the East China Sea, the PRC’s expanding fishing fleet is sparking tensions with its neighbors.“ #SLD22

„In the South China Sea, the PRC is using outposts on man-made islands bristling with advanced weaponry to advance its illegal maritime claims. We’re seeing PRC vessels plunder the region’s provisions, operating illegally within the territorial waters of..Indo-Pacific countries.“

„Indo-Pacific countries shouldn’t face political intimidation, economic coercion, or harassment by maritime militias.“

US defense secretary: „We do not support Taiwan independence…As part of our one-China policy, we’ll continue to fulfill our commitments under the Taiwan Relations Act. That includes assisting Taiwan in maintaining a sufficient self-defense capability.“ #SLD22

„And it means maintaining our own capacity to resist any use of force or other forms of coercion that would jeopardize the security or the social or economic system of the people of Taiwan.“ #SLD22

US defense secretary: „We’ve witnessed a steady increase in provocative and destabilizing military activity near Taiwan. That includes PLA aircraft flying near Taiwan in record numbers in recent months—and on a nearly daily basis.“ #SLD22