MEDIA ADVISORY

For Immediate Release
February 1, 2023

CONTACTS:
Hamilton Strategies, [email protected],
Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105,
or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102

War-Footing:
A Top US General Orders
War Preparations to Deter the CCP

Will the Rest of the Military Do the Same?

WASHINGTON — General Mike Minihan, USAF, recently issued a dramatic order to his 107,000 subordinates in the Air Mobility Command warning that the United States may be at war with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by 2025. He has directed the men and women responsible for air transportation and aerial refueling for the Air Force and other armed services to begin immediately taking steps to train and operate with a view to increasing America’s deterrent to Chinese aggression at the earliest possible time.

The general also tasked members of his command with innovating. For example, he asked them to explore the possibility of using KC-135 tankers as platforms for swarms of unmanned aerial vehicles — a power-projection option using available assets to enhance deterrence and, if needed, U.S. warfighting capabilities.

Particularly importantly, Gen. Minihan made clear that he was issuing these dramatic orders himself, would be following up with monthly updates and will be personally monitoring and evaluating compliance with his directives going forward.

Unfortunately, but unsurprisingly, the Biden Pentagon says Gen. Minihan’s “comments are not representative of the Department’s view on China.” It is unclear at present whether that means the general’s orders will be countermanded. That would be a potentially fatal mistake.

The next Committee on the Present Danger: China (CPDC) webinar will assess the significance of General Minihan’s warning order; whether the caliber of leadership it represents will prove to be inspiring to and manifested by others in America’s armed forces and, ideally, those of its allies and partners; and what else needs to be done now to deter — and, if necessary, to defeat — CCP aggression.

The webinar will take place at a special time from 9-10:15 a.m. ET on Thursday, February 2, 2023.

WHAT: CPDC Webinar | “War-Footing: A Top US General Orders War Preparations to Deter the CCP”

WHEN: 9:00-10:15 am ET, Thursday, February 2, 2023

WHO:

Moderator:

Frank Gaffney: Vice Chairman, Committee on the Present Danger: China; Executive Chairman, Center for Security Policy; Host, Securing America with Frank Gaffney

Panelists:

Lieutenant General William “Jerry” Boykin, U.S. Army (Ret.): former Commanding Officer, Delta Force and former Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence
Captain James Fanell, U.S. Navy (Ret.): former Chief of Intelligence, U.S. Pacific Fleet
Colonel Robert Maness, U.S. Air Force (Ret.): former Commanding Officer of a bomber squadron; former Vice Commander of America’s largest Airborne Intelligence Wing; former Commander, Kirtland Air Force Base
Colonel Grant Newsham, U.S. Marine Corps, (Ret.): former Reserve Head of Intelligence, Marine Forces Pacific; former Defense Attaché, Embassy Tokyo; former Foreign Service Officer
Dr. Bradley Thayer, PhD: Director, China Program, Center for Security Policy, co-author, Understanding the China Threat

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To interview representatives of the Committee on the Present Danger: China, contact [email protected], Beth Harrison, 610.584.1096, ext. 105, or Deborah Hamilton, ext. 102._______
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