US Pacific Commander Says US Must Focus on Sinking Chinese Ships in Future War

US military leaders have been speaking more bluntly about fighting a direct war with China

The head of United States Pacific Air Forces said Wednesday that the US needs to focus on sinking Chinese ships in a potential conflict with China as US military leaders are speaking more bluntly about a direct war with Beijing despite the risk of it turning nuclear.

Areas the Chinese military blocked off in response to Pelosi’s visit (Source: Xinhua)

Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach said the need to focus on sinking ships was the lesson of China’s response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) visiting Taiwan last August. The trip provoked China’s largest-ever military drills around the island, which included a simulated blockade.

“You saw when Speaker Pelosi went to Taiwan, what [China] did with their ships,” Wilsbach said at a symposium in Colorado, according to Military.com. “They put them on the east side of Taiwan … as a sort of blockade.”

Wilsbach said the US wants to focus on deterring China from attacking Taiwan, although Beijing’s actions and rhetoric make clear more US military support for the island makes a conflict more likely.

He said if China does attack, sinking ships would be the first priority. “We’ve got to sink the ships,” Wilsbach said. “Sinking ships is a main objective of not only PACAF [Pacific Air Forces] but really anyone that’s going to be involved in a conflict like this.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.