The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, indicated this Tuesday that Washington must be prepared for a possible conflict with China, despite not considering it “imminent or inevitable.”
His remarks came during a House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Department of Defense’s fiscal year 2025 budget request.
At the same time, Austin has stated that, “in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act,” Washington will continue to “provide assistance” to the island to “help it defend itself.” “We remain focused on their needs and providing security assistance as soon as possible,” she promised.
The US Secretary of Defense acknowledged that it is not always easy to “force industry to produce something faster,” but that Washington “is committed to working” in that direction to “make sure that happens.” “We are doing everything possible to move forward as quickly as possible,” said Austin, who admits that “there are several countries” that could compete with the US in this regard.
«Personally, I do not see that a conflict with China is imminent or inevitable. But again, we have to be prepared and we have to make sure that if something like this happens we are dominant in the battle space. “That is our goal and that is what we are working for every day,” he concluded. With RT