China’s New Weapons May Threaten U.S. Bases, Ships, Gates Says
Bloomberg.com
September 16, 2009
By Tony Capaccio
China is developing new weapons that could threaten the U.S. military presence in the Pacific, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said today.
“We should be concerned less with their potential ability to challenge the U.S. — fighter-to-fighter or ship-to-ship — and more with their ability to disrupt our freedom of movement and narrow our strategic options,” Gates told an audience of airpower advocates during a speech in suburban Maryland.
“Investments in cyber and anti-satellite warfare, anti-air and anti-ship weaponry, and ballistic missiles could threaten American’s primary way to project power and help allies in the Pacific — particularly our forward bases and carrier strike groups,” Gates told the Air Force Association, a private organization of Air Force retirees and contractors.
His comments reflect a growing concern within the U.S. intelligence and military community over the range and sophistication of China’s weaponry. …
