The U.S. Senate on Wednesday (April 21) voted unanimously to approve President Biden’s nominee, Admiral John Aquilino, as the new U.S. commander of the Indo-Pacific.
Aquilino, who has served as commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet since 2018, will take over the position of U.S. military hand in the Indo-Pacific region from the current U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, Admiral Davidson (Philip Davidson).
The Indo-Pacific region is currently a rapidly changing power tug-of-war, with the U.S. leadership in the region facing challenges from China.
In a March 23 nomination hearing, Aquilino told senators that Beijing sees the annexation of Taiwan as its “No. 1 priority” and believes that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan by force is “a problem that is closer to us than most people think,” and he called on Congress to provide for a new He called on Congress to appropriate funds for a new Indo-Pacific deterrence program.
Davidson, the current U.S. Indo-Pacific commander, issued back-to-back warnings in early March about China’s military threats in the Asia-Pacific region. He is “very concerned” that China could increase its military dominance over the next six years and force changes to the status quo in the region. He argued that Taiwan is China’s biggest target and that the threat of a PLA attack on Taiwan could happen within the next six years.
Aquilino, however, said he believes a Chinese invasion of Taiwan by force could happen “any time between today and 2045.”
China has stepped up its military activities against Taiwan in recent months, with Chinese military aircraft entering Taiwan’s air identification zone almost daily. The Chinese military announced in early April that training by the Chinese Navy’s aircraft carrier formations around Taiwan would become a regular occurrence.
Taiwan is widely seen as the most likely trigger for a potentially catastrophic U.S.-China war.
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