As the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) becomes more aggressive in the Indo-Pacific region and U.S.-China tensions continue, a U.S. military general warned that a conflict with the CCP in the Indo-Pacific theater, centered on China (CCP), would be decisive not just in naval battles but also in land battles.
At the just-concluded rubber-stamp meeting of the Communist Party’s National Congress, Xi Jinping urged vigorous Communist military development and combat readiness. Across the Pacific, Maj. Gen. Mic. Richard Coffman, director of the U.S. Army Futures Command’s Next Generation Combat Vehicle cross-functional team, said during a Center for Strategic and International Studies webinar Wednesday (March 10), “They [the Chinese Communist Party] will use every arrow in the bag of arrows. “
“The Nikkei Asian Review reported on March 11 that Coffman focused his remarks on the potential conflict with the Chinese Communist military, which he described as an imminent threat to the United States.
Coffman: Land Warfare Needs to Be Included in Indo-Pacific Theater
Coffman urged strategists to reconsider how they envision future conflicts with the Chinese Communist Party, noting that the U.S. military’s Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) covers an area of 2.7 billion square kilometers, with 50 percent of the world’s population.
He said many people “view the INDOPACOM area of operations as a maritime battlefield. The reason land warfare needs to be included in INDOPACOM, he said, is that it will be the only decisive component.
“If you want to occupy land, if you want to hold land, if you want to clear land, you need the ground (combat) element,” Coffman said. “It’s not just about tanks, although the Chinese (Communists) have a lot of tanks: 7,000 tanks and 3,000 infantry fighting vehicles; 10,000 (fighting vehicles) would be decisive if we weren’t there. To be decisive, we (the men) have to be equipped with armor to prevent the Chinese (CCP) will gain the relevant advantage.”
“Any belief that the Chinese Communist Party is self-limiting in a conflict is short-sighted.”
Coffman said, “Our imminent threat is not in Europe, it’s in Asia.” “And that imminent threat is a modernizing China (the Chinese Communist Party).”
Coffman also outlined the scale of Beijing‘s defense ambitions. He said, “Before, China (the CCP) was a regional threat. (Now), they are no longer regional. They are competing with us on a global scale.”
He said, “Any belief that China (CCP) will limit itself in a conflict is short-sighted.”
“They (the Chinese Communist Party) use their entire government (power) 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, throughout the diplomatic, informational, military and economic (spheres)… they will compete globally, then in a conflict, you can believe that they will fight on a global scale.”
An Indian Navy MH-60S Seahawk helicopter is landing aboard the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) next to the Australian Navy frigate USS Ballarat (FFH 155) as the three navies exercise together, Nov. 20-24, 2020. (U.S. Indo-Pacific Command)
“The Chinese Communist Party has a long history of fighting in China’s periphery.”
Xinhua, the Communist Party’s official media, downplays the CCP’s military modernization process, reporting that the CCP has never sought hegemony, expansion or an expanded sphere of influence. But Coffman insisted that “China [the Communist Party] has a long history of fighting on its periphery.
“They have used armored vehicles every Time,” he said.
Coffman cited the recent Sino-Indian border conflict, a skirmish on the border between the two countries last year that killed 20 Indian soldiers and sparked one of the largest military buildups in the region in recent years.
Coffman pointed to the escalation and hardware options of the Chinese Communist Party’s military. “If you look at what’s happened in India recently: armored vehicles,” he said.
Coffman said the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait are close at hand, saying, “We don’t want to start a war. But if we do, what does it look like? Where will it happen? It’s bigger than an ocean, I can tell you that.”
Asked about the exact location of a possible conflict with the Chinese Communist Party, he said, “We don’t know where, we don’t know when.”
“The only thing we can guarantee is that if you pick a specific location, it will be wrong.” Coffman said.
The U.S. Air Force, Navy, Marines and Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces conducted a massive joint exercise Aug. 18, 2020. four B-1B bombers, two B-2 stealth bombers, multiple F-15C fighters and F-35 stealth fighters. (U.S. Indo-Pacific Command)
Commander of Indo-Pacific Command: U.S. forces must demonstrate capability, capacity and willingness
Admiral Philip Davidson, commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, told a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing Tuesday (March 9) that the Chinese Communist military has made “tremendous strides” in size and capability and poses a threat to the United States in the Indo-Pacific region, which he described as “the most influential region for the future of the United States.
“The military balance in the Indo-Pacific region is increasingly detrimental to the United States and our allies.” Davidson said.
He said the “greatest danger” the U.S. faces in the region is the “erosion of conventional deterrence against China (the Chinese Communist Party),” and that without it, Beijing will be “emboldened Without conventional deterrence, Beijing will be “emboldened” to continue all kinds of aggression in the Indo-Pacific region, including aggression against Taiwan, Hong Kong, the South China Sea and the East China Sea.
“Our deterrence situation in the Indo-Pacific must demonstrate the capability, strength and willingness to convince Beijing once and for all that the cost of using military means to achieve its objectives is too high.” Davidson said.
Davidson has previously recommended that funding for U.S. forces in the Indo-Pacific region be increased, and of the $27 billion he proposes to spend on the military, $1.6 billion for additional systems would be a top priority. He wants to continue a special Pacific deterrence program through 2027 to strengthen the U.S. military posture in the region.
Davidson said he supports investments in a number of weaponry in the Asia-Pacific region, including land-based precision firepower; new Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines; range improvements in Alaska, Hawaii and Guam; improved joint exercises with allies, and increased intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance assets to provide early warning in the event of an attack.
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