Washington, D.C. [US], June 12 (ANI): U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth issued a stark warning on Tuesday, asserting that China represents the most aggressive and immediate threat to U.S. national security, particularly in the Indo-Pacific region. His comments, made during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense hearing, reflect growing concern within the Pentagon over Beijing’s military expansion and increasing maneuvers near Taiwan, according to a Taipei Times report.
“Our pacing threat is communist China,” Hegseth stated, addressing lawmakers alongside Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine. He cautioned that China is preparing for war in the Indo-Pacific as part of a broader strategy to dominate not only the region but, ultimately, global affairs. If successful, he warned, such dominance could cripple U.S. reindustrialization efforts and economically suffocate the nation.
Hegseth endorsed President Donald Trump’s “peace through strength” doctrine as the correct path forward. He emphasized that revitalizing the U.S. defense industrial base is essential, warning that China’s military buildup is unprecedented and explicitly designed for an invasion of Taiwan.
“Only by maintaining the world’s most powerful and lethal military—focused on protecting U.S. interests—can we effectively deter adversaries and win if conflict comes,” Hegseth said, reinforcing the urgency of maintaining military superiority.
General Dan Caine echoed the alarm, describing how the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is showcasing its capabilities through increasingly sophisticated and frequent operations against Taiwan. He stressed these are not routine drills, but rather “rehearsals for a forced unification” of Taiwan with the Chinese mainland.
Their remarks aligned with recent warnings from Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, about Beijing’s growing military assertiveness.
In Taipei, Taiwan’s Minister of National Defence Wellington Koo told the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defence Committee that the ministry is closely monitoring PLA maneuvers, noting that Beijing’s shift from military training to potential invasion planning cannot be ruled out.
Koo highlighted the rise in both announced and unannounced Chinese military exercises, describing them as larger in scale and frequency than in previous years. Taiwan’s military, he said, continues to focus on war readiness, while also studying responses to “grey zone” tactics—coercive strategies that stop short of open warfare.
As tensions in the Taiwan Strait and the broader Indo-Pacific region escalate, both U.S. and Taiwanese officials underscore the importance of integrated deterrence and military preparedness in maintaining regional peace and stability. (ANI)
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