Re: Chinese tool Gen. Milley orders staff to gather info on every interaction between Chinese, U.S. militaries amid rising tension

[Bruce Springsteen has always sucked]

In article <t1tk3f$38qj6$1...@news.freedyn.de>
<governo...@gmail.com> wrote:
>

The nation's top general has ordered his staff to gather
information about every interaction between the U.S. military
and the Chinese military over the past five years to review the
growing number of interactions with the Chinese military in the
South China Sea and beyond, say three defense officials.

The order from Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of
Staff, came after a video teleconference call between Milley and
his Chinese counterpart on July 7, the officials said. During
the call, Gen. Li Zuocheng, the chief of the Joint Staff
Department for the People’s Liberation Army of China, disputed
the U.S. contention that there has been an uptick in aggressive
behavior by Chinese military aircraft and ships against U.S. and
allied military operating in international waters that the
Chinese view as their own territorial areas.

In the official readout of the call between Milley and his
counterpart, which was made public on July 7, Milley’s
spokesperson, Col. Dave Butler, said Milley “underscored the
importance of the People’s Liberation Army engaging in
substantive dialogue on improving crisis communications and
reducing strategic risk,” but did not provide more detail about
the strategic risks.

Last month Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said at an Asian
security conference that the U.S. has “seen an alarming increase
in the number of unsafe aerial intercepts and confrontations at
sea by PLA aircraft and vessels.”

Speaking at the Shangi-La Dialogue in Singapore, Austin said PLA
fighter jets had conducted “dangerous intercepts of allied
aircraft operating lawfully in the East China and the South
China Seas” in recent weeks and also warned about interactions
in the Taiwan Strait.

A spokesperson for the Joint Staff, Pentagon-based support staff
for Milley, declined to comment.

Asked about his directive, Milley said, “China has been on the
rise, economically and militarily, for more than a decade.
They’ve become more bold in the Pacific. Maintaining open lines
of communication and managing competition will reduce strategic
risk.”

“The U.S. military’s focus is on modernization and readiness,”
said Milley. “Our network of partners and allies is a source of
strength. Through integrated deterrence, the rules-based order
will continue to allow every nation to prosper.”

Unsafe and unprofessional
The Joint Staff is now reviewing hundreds of interactions,
looking at when the increased aggression began and just how
often Chinese pilots and sailors could be endangering U.S.
military personnel.

On July 13 the U.S. destroyer USS Benfold carried out a FONOP
(Freedom of Navigation Operation) in the South China Sea,
sailing close to the disputed but Chinese-controlled Paracel
Islands. The Chinese military trailed the Benfold and ordered
the ship to leave the area. A Chinese military statement accused
the U.S. of illegally entering China's territorial waters and
violating Chinese sovereignty.

The U.S. Navy denied any wrongdoing and insisted the Chinese
threat did not force the U.S. ship out of the area. “The
operation reflects our commitment to uphold freedom of
navigation and lawful uses of the sea as a principle," the U.S.
Navy Seventh Fleet said in a statement. "The United States is
defending every nation’s right to fly, sail, and operate
wherever international law allows, as USS Benfold did here.
Nothing the PRC says otherwise will deter us.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/gen-milley-
orders-staff-gather-info-interactions-china-us-militaries-r-
rcna38781?icid=recommended