NYT: US Army prepares for war with China

The ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine has underscored to senior U.S. military leaders that, should a war with China arise, the U.S. Army — having primarily engaged with irregular and small forces in recent years — will not be adequately prepared. 

Consequently, there is a pressing need for the Army to undergo transformation and adopt lessons from modern warfare, as reported by The New York Times (NYT), citing analysts and retired military officers.

Observers highlighted that recent military exercises exposed significant flaws, revealing that, despite the impressive deployments of U.S. forces globally, not all personnel are equipped for large-scale warfare "on land, at sea, in the air, and in space."

Earlier this month, 864 Army paratroopers boarded C-17 transport planes at a base in Alaska for an exercise, but only 492 successfully completed their landing. Issues with the planes' doors forced some to land prematurely, and several paratroopers sustained injuries during landing, including ankle sprains and head injuries. Notably, one 19-year-old soldier experienced a complete parachute failure.

In response, U.S. military representatives are urging current Army leadership to enhance field training and learn from the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, especially in light of the possibility that China may attempt to invade Taiwan, which would likely require U.S. intervention to prevent its fall.

Military planners anticipate that China would utilize light amphibious vessels to establish a beachhead in Taiwan; however, these vessels would face significant challenges navigating heavily mined waters. While air assault forces may target infrastructure, capturing an island as large as Taiwan — home to 23 million people and fortified defences — will ultimately necessitate deploying ground troops by sea. "You can’t do it without pushing a large landing force across the straits on ships," General VanAntwerp asserted. "There’s no other way."

To this end, Chinese military planners are reportedly repurposing civilian ferries to transport troops and equipment across the strait while developing floating piers, according to American officials.

Analysts concur that if the Pentagon fails to draw the necessary conclusions from these insights, U.S. Pacific allies may begin to lose confidence in Washington's deterrent capabilities.

While the Pentagon refrains from disclosing specific details about how American trainers are assisting Taiwan in bolstering its defences, part of the U.S. military's deterrence strategy involves conveying to China the significant risks associated with an amphibious assault. Army officials also express hope that joint exercises with Pacific partners will demonstrate to Chinese military officials the full extent of U.S. capabilities.

Currently, over a quarter of the U.S. Army’s 450,000 active-duty personnel are assigned to the Pacific region. However, this region is defined broadly to include troops stationed not only in Japan, South Korea, and the Philippines, but also in Alaska, Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, and California. The distance from Joint Base Lewis-McChord near Tacoma, Washington, to Taiwan, exceeds 6,000 miles, a separation the Army describes as "the tyranny of distance."

While the American Air Force may not be able to achieve air superiority across the entire Pacific Ocean, it can establish corridors — referred to by the Army as "interior lines" — to facilitate unrestricted movement between locations such as the Philippines and other islands. Approximately 54,000 U.S. troops are currently deployed in Japan, 25,000 in South Korea, and a smaller contingent in the Philippines.

By Tamilla Hasanova