“The security environment is the most dangerous I’ve seen in 40 years in uniform,” Adm. Aquilino warned last week.
“We haven’t faced a threat like this since WW2.”
A few more clips, quotes, & mic-dropping moments from his final public appearance as Commander, U.S. INDOPACOM 👇
“We haven’t faced a threat like this since WW2.”
A few more clips, quotes, & mic-dropping moments from his final public appearance as Commander, U.S. INDOPACOM 👇
The Philippines is a “really critical hot spot right now that could end up in a bad place… I’m concerned where it could go.”
https://twitter.com/ianellisjones/status/1771680905175691551
“Conflict is not imminent or inevitable—but our potential adversaries have become increasingly aggressive & emboldened.”
“The PRC’s unprecedented military build-up & campaign of coercive actions continue to destabilize the region & they challenge the values & institutions that support a free & open Indo-Pacific.”
“My view is that China would absolutely like to assimilate Taiwan without a war.
And that is evident by their increasingly aggressive, coercive campaign against Taiwan, increasingly deploying ships in the vicinity, crossing the center line with their air assets, entering their ADIZ with their aircraft…
They have not over the past number of years denounced the use of force. They continue to keep it on the table.”
And that is evident by their increasingly aggressive, coercive campaign against Taiwan, increasingly deploying ships in the vicinity, crossing the center line with their air assets, entering their ADIZ with their aircraft…
They have not over the past number of years denounced the use of force. They continue to keep it on the table.”
“The PRC will be a competitor with the U.S. today, tomorrow, & in the future. They’re not going away.
The strategy articulates that all of the actions & the approaches in the 4 pillars that we've set up—which are posture, operations, capabilities, & allies & partners—are designed to give us a sustained, persistent advantage…
Continuing to modernize & deliver those capabilities & things we need in the long-term will maintain that advantage. All of it. The entire strategic approach by INDOPACOM is designed to prevent this conflict.”
The strategy articulates that all of the actions & the approaches in the 4 pillars that we've set up—which are posture, operations, capabilities, & allies & partners—are designed to give us a sustained, persistent advantage…
Continuing to modernize & deliver those capabilities & things we need in the long-term will maintain that advantage. All of it. The entire strategic approach by INDOPACOM is designed to prevent this conflict.”
“With the capabilities that the PRC are producing, delivering, & continue to support, their numbers & capability & capacity are increasing.
That's a conscious decision to support a 7.2% defense increase despite an economy that is on the decline.
We're at a point where the capability being produced does have a quality all of its own as it applies with capacity.
It is the world's largest Navy right now. It is soon to be the world's largest Air Force as they continue to produce.”
That's a conscious decision to support a 7.2% defense increase despite an economy that is on the decline.
We're at a point where the capability being produced does have a quality all of its own as it applies with capacity.
It is the world's largest Navy right now. It is soon to be the world's largest Air Force as they continue to produce.”
Admiral Aquilino on decision superiority & closing the kill chain:
On Ukraine-Russia:
“The PRC is certainly watching that conflict & they're gaining a lot of lessons learned on what gets done right, what gets done wrong.
The combination of the two supporting each other, whether it be in the information space or in the UN is concerning, right?
You have a lineup behind the war criminal that you've identified by other nations, which legitimizes the actions. And we have to ensure that we don't support that assertion.”
“The PRC is certainly watching that conflict & they're gaining a lot of lessons learned on what gets done right, what gets done wrong.
The combination of the two supporting each other, whether it be in the information space or in the UN is concerning, right?
You have a lineup behind the war criminal that you've identified by other nations, which legitimizes the actions. And we have to ensure that we don't support that assertion.”
“The U.S. asymmetric advantage of undersea capabilities are second to none. And that is a domain that we need to maintain superiority. We need to maintain capacity & investments in the undersea sets of capabilities because they allow us to be dominant.”
Q: Last year I asked you about Chinese shipbuilding investment compared to our own. & you made clear then that the Chinese are building ships at a pace that far exceed ours. Has that trend changed at all since this time last year?
A: No
A: No
When asked about using million dollar missiles to shoot down Houthi drones:
“They are fighting with what they got & we should never ask them to stop or conserve.
What we do have to do is move forward on our directed energy path to be able to get on the right side of this cost curve.
So your point is completely valid, but bottom line mission success there: I would never ask them to restrict what they need to do.
But we do need to make sure that the capabilities that I've identified are delivered at a relevant time.”
“They are fighting with what they got & we should never ask them to stop or conserve.
What we do have to do is move forward on our directed energy path to be able to get on the right side of this cost curve.
So your point is completely valid, but bottom line mission success there: I would never ask them to restrict what they need to do.
But we do need to make sure that the capabilities that I've identified are delivered at a relevant time.”
Drones delivered cheaply & at scale is an asymmetric advantage:
“The ability to deliver swarming-type unmanned attritable capabilities to deliver a problem set for the adversary they won’t be prepared for & would have a really difficult time countering.
Whether it’s undersea, on the sea, or above the sea—all of those capabilities are needed.”
“The ability to deliver swarming-type unmanned attritable capabilities to deliver a problem set for the adversary they won’t be prepared for & would have a really difficult time countering.
Whether it’s undersea, on the sea, or above the sea—all of those capabilities are needed.”
The Admiral’s top priority is “defense of the homeland, which is the Guam Defense System.”
“We have to be able to get this in a place where we do have sustained, consistent, flexible, & redundant power, water, & all the capabilities needed to generate the force.”
“We have to be able to get this in a place where we do have sustained, consistent, flexible, & redundant power, water, & all the capabilities needed to generate the force.”
“What we all have to understand…
We haven’t faced a threat like this since WW2. The largest military. The world’s largest navy. Soon to be the world’s largest air force.
The magnitude, scope, & scale of this security challenge cannot be understated.”
We haven’t faced a threat like this since WW2. The largest military. The world’s largest navy. Soon to be the world’s largest air force.
The magnitude, scope, & scale of this security challenge cannot be understated.”
• • •
Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to
force a refresh
