US general states Taiwan invasion would be a strategic mistake
US general states Taiwan invasion would be a strategic mistake
2022-11-17
At a press conference on Wednesday, U.S. official Mark Milley was questioned about the possibility of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Milley responded that China would be playing a “dangerous game” by crossing the Taiwan Strait, and that China following Putin’s example in Ukraine would be a strategic mistake. Let’s hear more of what he had to say on the issue.
At a press conference held by U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mark Milley and Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin to report on the situation in Ukraine, the media was also eager to know Milley’s thoughts on whether Chinese leader Xi Jinping would attack Taiwan.
Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
As best I can tell, he’s a rational actor, and I think he would conclude that an attack on Taiwan in the near future would be an excessive amount of risk and it would end in a strategic debacle for the Chinese military.
Milley believes that Xi will make a decision that is in China’s national interest. After all, Taiwan has an easily defensible strait and rugged natural terrain.
Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
That is a very difficult military task to do. You’ve got a large city of Taipei with 3 or 4 million people with suburbs of about 7 million people. You’ve got very complex terrain of mountains. Most of Taiwan is mountainous. So it’s a very difficult military objective.
Milley also remarked on China’s lack of actual combat experience.
Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
For a military that hasn’t fought in combat since fighting the Vietnamese in 1979, they would be playing a very, very dangerous game to cross the straits and invade the island of Taiwan.
Milley also used the Russian invasion of Ukraine as an example, saying that it would be a strategic and geopolitical mistake if China imitated Putin and took action against Taiwan. He also emphasized that the U.S. military is fully prepared.
Mark Milley
US chairman of the joint chiefs of staff
And I think it would be unwise, it would be a political mistake, a geopolitical mistake, a strategic mistake. I can tell you that we’re watching closely, we are militarily prepared, and one of the keys now is to make sure that Taiwan can defend itself.
Reports say Xi could attempt to unify Taiwan by force by 2027. However, according to Milley, Xi’s plans are nothing but a dream.
中國犯台？ 美軍事首長：仍不具實力將是戰略錯誤
2022-11-17
美國密切關切台海局勢，美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席密利，今天在記者會被問到中國動武的可能性，他表示台灣地形複雜，是非常困難的軍事目標，中國仍未具備足夠侵台能力。他也警告，中國如果攻打台灣將是戰略錯誤，如同俄羅斯入侵烏克蘭。
美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席密利，與美國國防部長奧斯汀召開記者會，報告烏克蘭情勢，但媒體也急於知道，習近平會不會打台灣。
[[美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席 密利]]
“據我所知，他(習近平)是理性的人，我認為他會研判如果近期攻打台灣，風險太大， 中國軍隊會以戰略崩潰告終”
密利認為，習近平會做出符合國家利益的決定，畢竟台灣擁有易守難攻的海峽和地形天險。
[[美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席 密利]]
“(攻台)是非常困難的軍事任務，光是大台北地區就有三、四百萬人口，周邊還有七百萬人，有非常複雜的地形和山脈，台灣大部分面積都是山脈，是非常非常困難的軍事目標”
密利還順便嗆中國，實戰經驗少得可憐。
[[美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席 密利]]
“對於一支自從1979年與越南人作戰以來，就沒有參加過戰鬥的軍隊來說，跨越海峽入侵台灣，是非常非常危險的遊戲”
密利也拿俄羅斯侵略烏克蘭當例子，說要是中國學普丁對台灣動手，將會是戰略錯誤，也是地緣政治錯誤。同時強調，美軍已經做好準備。
[[美軍參謀首長聯席會議主席 密利]]
“我認為這(侵台)是不明智的，會成為政治錯誤，地緣政治錯誤，戰略錯誤，我們正在密切關注，也做好軍事準備，目前的關鍵之一就是確保台灣能夠自我防衛”
習近平不久前才指示解放軍，做好2027年武統台灣的準備，強國大夢，被美軍最高將領，三言兩語就戳破。
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