Rep. McCaul on Air Force general’s prediction of 2025 war with China: 'I hope he’s wrong … I think he’s right' - Fox News

Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, weighed successful connected the prediction from four-star Air Force Gen. Mike Minihan, who warned his commanders to hole for war with China successful astir 2 years' time.

Minihan predicted that warring volition travel aft China takes vantage of the U.S. being preoccupied with the 2024 predetermination to instrumentality enactment against Taiwan, which volition beryllium focused connected their elections adjacent twelvemonth arsenic well.

"I anticipation he's wrong," McCaul told "Fox News Sunday" big Shannon Bream. "I deliberation he's close though, unfortunately."

McCaul explained that China precise overmuch wants "reunification" of Taiwan with mainland China. He said that could travel astir done influencing the Taiwanese elections successful aboriginal 2024.

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"But if they don't triumph successful that 1 they are going to look astatine a subject invasion, successful my judgment. We person to beryllium prepared for this."

McCaul said "as agelong arsenic Biden is successful bureau projecting weakness," determination are "very high" likelihood of this happening. He cited the Biden administration's nonaccomplishment with the withdrawal from Afghanistan, which helium said led to Russia invading Ukraine.

Later successful the program, House Armed Services Committee ranking subordinate Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., disagreed with McCaul and Minihan's appraisal of imaginable warfare with China.

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"I privation to beryllium wholly clear. It's not lone not inevitable, it's highly unlikely," helium said.

Smith acknowledged that "anything is possible" and the subject should beryllium prepared, said "generals should beryllium precise cautious" with what they accidental and should not beryllium telling the satellite that the U.S. is going to warfare with China, astir importantly due to the fact that we're not."

The Democrat said that portion the U.S. indispensable beryllium capable to deter China, helium is "very confident" that a military conflict tin beryllium avoided.

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NBC News reported Friday that Minihan, caput of Air Mobility Command, warned aerial helping commanders successful a memo that his "gut" tells him a struggle with China is coming. 

The wide said "a fortified, ready, integrated, and agile Joint Force Maneuver Team acceptable to combat and triumph wrong the archetypal land chain" needs to beryllium established to hole for the looming fight, and instructed commanders to study backmost by Feb. 28 connected steps they volition instrumentality to hole for the warfare against China.