The US military has seen the results of the Sino-US war, and once there is a change in the Taiwan Strait, the main force of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region will be wiped out on the first day.
After a series of analyses and exercises, the United States has finally realized that if there are changes in the Taiwan Strait in the future and a direct military conflict breaks out between China and the United States, the PLA may launch a saturation strike at the first time to strike at the US land-based air forces in the Asia-Pacific region, and more than 90 percent of the US fighters will be destroyed on the ground.
[Rubio and 11 other U.S. congressmen sent a joint letter to the Pentagon]
According to foreign media reports, 11 US Republican congressmen, including Florida Senator Marco Rubio, sent a joint letter to the Pentagon, demanding that the Navy and Air Force take measures to solve the problem of security risks in US military aviation bases in the Asia-Pacific region.
These congressmen said that many US military bases in the Asia-Pacific region lack strong fortifications, and that China has sufficient weapons and equipment to suppress the US military's air defense and anti-missile systems and launch strikes against targets in the bases.
Rubio and others emphasized that in the war games that simulated the outbreak of war between China and the United States over the Taiwan issue, 90 percent of the US military's fighter plane losses occurred on land, not in the air.
The congressmen held that the US military should increase investment in strengthening "passive defense," build reinforced hangars, underground bunkers, and other facilities, disperse the deployment of troops, arrange more backup logistics facilities, and strengthen the ability of front-line troops to quickly repair runways and other facilities.
[Rubio and others believe that the US military's aviation bases in the Asia-Pacific region are unable to cope with PLA strikes]
Although under the US political system, congressmen have made joint proposals to the military to try to intervene in the issue of military construction, often with some political or economic purposes, it cannot be ruled out that they are helping some companies win more orders from the military or further establish their tough image on China. But it is undeniable that the scene described by these lawmakers is indeed likely to be played out in the direction of the western Pacific.
Just as these congressmen said, the continued tension in the Taiwan Strait is indeed likely to trigger a direct military confrontation between China and the United States one day in the future, and the struggle for air supremacy in the western Pacific will be another important part of this.
With the improvement of the technical and tactical level of China's air force and naval air force, the US military has also realized that it is impossible to seize air supremacy around the Taiwan Strait by relying solely on aircraft carrier and carrier-based aircraft units. It is extremely important to strengthen the land-based aviation forces on the front line of the "first island chain" to ensure that more fighters can be mobilized in wartime.
For this reason, the US military is not only speeding up the refitting of US units stationed in Japan, but also regularly transfers fighter units from other theaters to temporarily station them in Okinawa and other places, and through the signing of a new EDCA agreement with the Philippines, it has obtained the right to use Lalo Airport in northern Luzon and increased the number of reserve airfields.
[U.S. Army Air Forces deployed in Kadena]
Simply comparing the air combat power of the western Pacific frontline, the US military and its allies have indeed maintained a certain advantage. However, under the conditions of modern warfare, the struggle for air supremacy is no longer limited to the head-on confrontation of the air forces of the two sides, and the use of various long-range strike means to paralyze the opponent's airfield and prevent the opponent's aircraft from taking off has long become the focus of various military powers.
When the Russian-Ukrainian conflict broke out, the Russian army preemptively destroyed many Ukrainian fighters at the airport through missile strikes and other means, and gradually seized air supremacy on the battlefield in Ukraine.
In 2020, Iran also used a large number of medium and long-range missiles to launch a saturation strike on the US air base in Iraq.
[In 2020, Iran launched a missile strike on a US military base in Iraq]
Compared with the Russian and Iranian armies, the PLA does have stronger long-range strike capabilities. The PLA Standing Missile Force has a variety of missiles in its hands, which can strike at airfields on the first island chain, and some long-range missiles can even threaten airfields in Guam and other places, making it impossible for US B52 bombers and other aircraft to give full play to their range advantage.
At the same time, the Chinese Air Force's H-6K and other fighters can carry a variety of cruise missiles to launch long-range strikes against Kadena and other places, and Chinese Navy ships in the South China Sea, East China Sea, and other waters can also launch YJ-21 and other missiles to participate in operations against US military bases.
It can be seen that the scene that the US land-based aviation in the Asia-Pacific region is now predicted by the United States to be "wiped out" and that most of the planes will be destroyed before they can take off is indeed possible.
More importantly, no matter whether the US military is now following the suggestions of the congressmen to strengthen the construction of hangars and other facilities and enhance its "ability to take beats," or whether it is deploying more air defense and antimissile equipment, improving its defense system, and trying to intercept missiles flying toward its bases, it can only reduce its losses to a limited extent and cannot completely solve the problem and give itself peace of mind.
[The PLA's new generation of long-range strike weapon - Dongfeng-17 missile]
After all, while the US military is strengthening its "shield", the PLA is also constantly strengthening its "spear". The DF-17 and other cutting-edge missiles in the hands of the PLA are very difficult for the US military to stop.
Moreover, with the production capacity of China's military industry, the PLA can obtain sufficient ammunition supplies in wartime and continue to launch saturation strikes on US military bases, and sooner or later there will be a gap in the US military's air defense network.
In fact, this also proves that the military strength between China and the United States is changing, and the United States is obviously unable to maintain its military superiority in the western Pacific direction.
What politicians in Washington really need to consider now is not what kind of way the US military should use to deal with possible future conflicts, but whether the United States should change its China policy, really start moving in the same direction as China, ease tensions, and work with China to explore a path of peaceful development that is in line with the interests of both China and the United States. After all, as China has said before, the Pacific Ocean is big enough to accommodate both China and the United States.