How Ukraine war has shaped US planning for a China conflict

Yes, I do think the US has an eye on instigating a conflict with China.

As the war rages on in Ukraine, the United States is doing more than supporting an ally. It’s learning lessons — with an eye toward a possible clash with China. No one knows what the next U.S. major military conflict will be or whether the U.S. will send troops — as it did in Afghanistan and Iraq — or provide vast amounts of aid and expertise, as it has done with Ukraine. But China remains America’s biggest concern. U.S. military officials say Beijing wants to be ready to invade the self-governing island of Taiwan by 2027, and the U.S. remains the island democracy’s chief ally and supplier of defense weapons.

While there are key differences in geography and in U.S. commitment to come to Taiwan’s defense, “there are clear parallels between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and a possible Chinese attack on Taiwan,” a Center for Strategic and International Studies report found last month. A look at some of the lessons from the Ukraine war and how they could apply to a Taiwan conflict:

ARM IN ADVANCE

The US did arm and train Ukrainians well in advance of the Russian action. So I’m ignoring the lies within the article. As we know Ukraine has been waging war on the Russian speaking population since 2014. And the US played an oversize role in the 2014 coup. So it’s interesting to read this sentence

CSIS found. “Taiwan must start the war with everything it needs.”

We can interpret that sentence in a couple of ways… Should we read it as Taiwan must initiate the war with full capabilities ready to go?

REBUILDING TAKES TIME

In response, the U.S. has set up a presidential draw down authority for Taiwan, Hicks said, which will allow the U.S. to send weapons from its own stockpiles instead of arranging new contracts.

The Army is working with Congress to get the authority to do multiyear contracts, so that firms will invest to meet longer-term needs, especially for the systems Bush called “the big four” — Javelin missiles, High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS) launchers, Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) munitions and 155mm rounds.

The balloon stories seem to be a factor in creating space as a front line. NORAD is looking to upgrade..

SPACE AS A FRONT LINE

“Russia just got its clock cleaned in the information war from Day One, and they were never able to control the narrative coming out of Ukraine” of democracy under attack, Brands said. “We should assume that China won’t make the same mistake, that it will try very aggressively to control the information space.”

U.S. space experts are also looking at expanding satellite communications, building on Starlink’s successes. While Starlink is now the main orbiting commercial communications ring, others are coming online.

BE READY FOR CYBERWAR

While the satellites and their transmissions must be protected, the ground stations to process and disseminate information are also vulnerable

That issue has the attention of the U.S. Space Force. “If we’re not thinking about cyber protection of our ground networks,” the networks will be left vulnerable, and the satellites won’t be able to distribute their information, said Chief of Space Operations Gen. Chance Saltzman.