US says it can’t stop China’s nuclear program

General Milley answered questions with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the House Armed Services Committee on the fiscal year 2024 defense budget.

Making assessments of China, Milley said he is concerned about China’s nuclear weapons capability, as well as its rapprochement with Russia.

The American commander said: “In the strategic environment we find ourselves in, we see that the two of them are getting closer to each other. I would not call it a true alliance in the full sense of the word, but we are seeing them more and more together and it is disturbing, “he said.

Noting that China’s nuclear capability is not yet in a position to compete with the US, Milley said: “However, they do have significant nuclear capability and they have ICBMs that can range as far as the US. It’s downright worrying. So right now we are in a situation where we are facing two major powers with nuclear weapons.” she used the phrases.

Milley said Cold War principles of deterrence still apply, but confronting two nuclear powers is complex.

Regarding the future of China’s nuclear weapons program, the US general said:

“There is probably nothing we can do to slow, stop, slow down or destroy the nuclear development program that China envisions for the next 10 to 20 years. They will do it according to their own plans, and I think there is very little pressure we can put on from the outside to prevent this from happening. There may be some economic instruments. There may be other things in the intelligence world, but they will probably carry out their plans. They have a national aspiration to be a global competitor to the United States and to be militarily superior by mid-century. They set out to do this. This is really disturbing.”

SYRIA WITHDRAWAL PROJECT

Referring to the bill introduced to the House of Representatives on the US withdrawal from Syria in session, Milley said: “I congratulate the members of the committee who started these discussions. I think this is valuable. If we’re going to risk our lives, we want to know that the American people have our back. So without the support of the American people, we shouldn’t be there either. It’s that easy. That’s why I applaud this effort.” She used the phrases.

The bill, introduced by Republican Matt Gaetz, the US House Representative for Florida, calling on President Joe Biden to withdraw all US troops from Syria was defeated by a vote of 321 to 103.

“WE WANT TO HEAR A STRATEGY TO STOP THE HYPERSONIC ARMS RACE”

In the session, Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton asked Defense Secretary Austin if hypersonic missiles were destabilizing weapons.

Responding to Austin’s “potentially destabilizing” response, Moulton said that all the United States did was catch up with Russia and China on hypersonic weapons, and it had become an arms race.

“Our secondary strike capability provides deterrence,” Moulton said. It seems to have entered an arms race for very bad reasons and we are trying to catch up with Russia and China. Because we’re basically trying to get more hypersonic missiles that are destabilizing, making the world an even more unsafe place. So we don’t need to hear about a strategy that will win the arms race, but a strategy that will stop it.” He made his assessment.

2002 ELIMINATION OF THE AUTHORITY FOR THE USE OF MILITARY FORCE

The bill, which was approved by the Senate with a vote of 30 to 66, and which contemplates the cancellation of the Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) of 2002, which allowed the invasion of Iraq, entered the diary.

Austin said that even if the 2002 AUMF law was repealed, they were still mandated to continue operations in the Middle East under the 2001 AUMF.

The US minister said that if the AUMF mandate law of 2001 is repealed, Congress should enact a more specific mandate continuing operations in the region.

On the other hand, there was a discussion about the US withdrawal from Afghanistan.

Many representatives commented that he needed to be accountable to decision makers, particularly Austin.

Austin, for his part, defended himself by stating that he did not regret the decision to retire, and that they complied with the order as quickly as possible. (AA)