Commander of US Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), General Kenneth Wilsbach said that the US must sink Chinese warships to break a blockade of Taiwan, reported Taiwan News.
While speaking to reporters at the Air and Space Forces Association Warfare Symposium in Aurora, Colorado on Wednesday, Wilsbach said, "We've got to sink the ships," and recommended the U.S. "amass firepower" in the region with the use of armed drones and added the Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider could be "helpful in our mission."
Wilsbach recalled that in response to former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Taiwan, China deployed ships off the east coast of Taiwan to act "as a sort of blockade," reported Military.com.
Notably, tensions started between China and Taiwan after the US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi travelled to Taiwan in August.
China raised objections to Pelosi's visit to Taiwan, which China claims as part of its territory. China announced military drills around Taiwan over Pelosi's visit to the island.
Wilsbach said the surface-to-air missiles mounted on the ships created an "anti-access/area denial engagement zone" that discouraged warplanes from other countries from entering for fear of being shot down.
Although Washington's priority is to deter Beijing from invading, Wilsbach said the military needs to have contingencies in the event China does attack Taiwan. He argued that if hostilities do break out, the first order of business is that, "We've got to sink the ships," reported Taiwan News.
The commander said that sinking Chinese warships should not only be the main objective of the PACAF "but really anyone that's going to be involved in a conflict like this."
He stressed the need for the US and the militaries of friendly nations to plan and train together a great deal more, reported Taiwan News.
Wilsbach said that many wings under his command are rehearsing the US Air Force's tactic of spreading crews and aircraft across "many, many islands."
China has enacted a long-term and flexible strategy for the self-governing island. This strategy involves periodic military exercises that amount to blockades, with a tighter military noose increasing the threat level.
Moreover, it sends the message that any large military exercise could quickly be the real thing - an indefinite blockade of Taiwan to starve it into submission.
( With inputs from ANI )
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