"It's disturbing how ill-informed & naive the average American is on China."
@USNavy Admiral publicly states #China is the "number one challenge" of the 21st century and represents the most dangerous trend in #geopolitics.
Eye-opening speech.
I cut the 60 mins down to 5 👇
Rear Admiral and Commander of Office of Naval Intelligence, Mike Studeman, delivered a chilling address on the threat posed by China.
"It's mind blowing how big the problem is. It's very unsettling to see how much the US is not connecting the dots on the challenge."
"The problem is so massive most people don't know how to have a framework for it. We need to have more conversations with the country to understand the problem."
The Adm. says it's a tougher problem than the US faced against the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
Let that sink in.
In contrast, China views the US differently.
"We are clearly the number one enemy. We are characterized as such. Most Chinese fully believe that in their minds."
Why?
"They think America is dangerous. They don't think democracies are efficient. They think they're ineffective."
"The China challenge could be the most nonpartisan issue that could unite the country in significant ways."
The Adm. makes a plea:
"Can we please lower the amount of internal bickering within the US and focus on the international challenges that actually affect every American?"
This is the single most important video of the year.
"We're going to find that we could very well lose the peace. We worry about winning the war, prevailing, but we can also lose the peace in the meantime."
The entire speech is worth watching and full of fascinating insights.
Rare sighting of USS JIMMY CARTER (SSN 23) coming into San Diego for a quick turn.
The Seawolf-class nuclear-powered fast attack sub is regarded as the most secretive sub in the U.S. Navy & specially modified for covert seabed warfare.
Larger & more advanced than the other two Seawolf boats, USS JIMMY CARTER (SSN 23) has likely been tasked with some of the U.S. Navy’s most secretive missions.
It’s also the only one modified for seabed warfare – unreported missions deep below the waters that can target critical infrastructure such as power cables, telecom cables, & natural resource extraction systems.
“Over my last 3 years, the security environment has changed drastically — & not in a good way.”
Adm. Aquilino, in his final public interview in uniform after a 40-year career 👇
⑴ “The main theme that’s really concerning — & that everyone has to see — is it links authoritarian nations [China, Russia, DPRK] in ways that we haven’t seen in our history in a long time.”
⑵ China has “expanded their military capability, their verbalization is more aggressive, & their actions are more aggressive. & they’ve now accelerated to dangerous. Perhaps most dangerous in the Philippines.”
⑶ Beijing “clearly made a risk determination that taking aggressive actions is within their interest & to the benefit of their strategic objectives. More aggressive rhetoric & certainly more aggressive actions.”
Admiral (soon to be retired) John Aquilino most recently served as Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command. Quick thread with a few more clips & quotes:
Interview by @nickschifrin & great thread with highlights (+ link to full video)
“Chinese actions are certainly destabilizing to the region... they are putting at risk the Philippine Coast Guardsmen, sailors, & those fishermen that operate in their exclusive economic zone — within the full rights of the Philippines.”
In the most hotly contested waterway in the world, the risk of Asia’s next war hinges increasingly on a ramshackle ship...
“Sierra Madre has become the epicenter of escalating tensions between the Philippines & China—a trip wire that could draw the U.S. into an armed conflict”🔥
China claims the vast majority of the South China Sea and, in recent months, has ramped up efforts to prevent the Philippines from providing supplies to personnel aboard the Sierra Madre. Analysis of ship-tracking data and videos over the past year shows that Chinese coast guard and militia ships have repeatedly swarmed and collided with Philippine resupply vessels. The Chinese vessels have also increasingly deployed water cannons at close-range, at times disabling Philippine ships and injuring sailors.
China has spent the past three decades expanding its presence in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which a third of global shipping passes, according to the United Nations. Beijing may not intend to start a war here, analysts say, but repeated confrontations at sea between vessels have raised the potential for fateful accidents, also potentially provoking a U.S. response.
Source: WaPo
“The United States has significantly increased its deployment of Navy personnel in the Philippines in direct response to the situation at the Sierra Madre, said a U.S. State Department official.”
New map — Major military activity in the Indo-Pacific:
- 1/3 of US Navy Fleet in theater
- Balikatan underway, many major firsts
- Taiwan inauguration May 20 & potential Chinese response
- Increased PLA military activity around Taiwan, 120+ ships in SCS
What you need to know 🧵
Tracking heightened & steady Chinese PLA military activity in 2024, highlighted by a balloon barrage in January, encircling Kinmen island in February, increasing frequency, scale, & scope of drills in March, & surging warships to end April.
Approximately 40 U.S. Navy ships are in the Indo-Pacific theater, including 2x carrier strike groups (1x deployed & underway near Thailand) & 2x amphibious ready groups (1x deployed & underway in the Philippines).
China has the world’s largest Navy—& soon to be the world’s largest Air Force, U.S. Navy Adm Aquilino told Congress.
“The magnitude, scope, & scale of this security challenge cannot be understated.”
Today, the U.S. Air Force is the smallest it’s ever been, writes @defense_news:
USAF “expects its fleet of fighters, bombers, tankers, cargo planes, drones, etc. to dip below 5,000 in FY2025, as retirements of older & outdated airframes outpace procurement of their replacements. The fleet could drop to 4,900 next year—but it may yet fall further.”