A top-secret US government assessment claims that China would destroy American fighter planes and defeat the military in a possible conflict over Taiwan, The New York Times reported. This document, “Overmatch Brief”, was reportedly prepared by the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment and shows the comparison between Washington’s dependence on expensive, vulnerable weapons and the rival’s “cheap but technologically advanced” ones.
The report comes days after China warned that it would “crush” all foreign attempts to interfere in the Taiwan matter, as Japan warned of placing missiles on an island close to Taiwan. At that time, Peng Qingen, a spokesperson for China's Taiwan Affairs Office, said during a press conference, “We have a firm will, strong determination and a strong ability to defend our national sovereignty and territorial integrity… We will crush all foreign interference.”
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China will defeat US military in potential Taiwan conflict?
The Pentagon’s “Overmatch Brief”, a top-secret government document, discusses China’s ability to destroy American fighter jets, large ships and satellites. It also details the US military’s supply-chain weak points, NYT reported.
An official told the publication that when a national security official received the classified document in 2021 during the Joe Biden administration, he became pale since he understood that “every trick we had up our sleeve, the Chinese had redundancy after redundancy.”
{{/usCountry}}An official told the publication that when a national security official received the classified document in 2021 during the Joe Biden administration, he became pale since he understood that “every trick we had up our sleeve, the Chinese had redundancy after redundancy.”
{{/usCountry}}The top-secret brief reveals that the Pentagon is heavily dependent on costly and vulnerable weapons while its rivals develop cheaper and more advanced ones. At the same time, the document reportedly shows a decline in Washington’s strength to fight and win a war with a superpower.
In war games like those described in the Overmatch brief, ships such as the Ford are often destroyed, according to the report. Even so, the US Navy intends to build at least nine more Ford-class carriers in the years ahead.
According to the report, Volt Typhoon, a hacking group ‘backed’ by China, has put malware into computer systems that run power networks, communication lines and water services for American military bases.
This threatens the US military’s ability to equip and staff if a crisis breaks out in the Pacific, and it could also possibly affect civilians.
China-Taiwan tensions
Beijing considers Taiwan part of its territory and has never ruled out the possibility of using force to gain control.
The government in Taiwan rejects this claim and says the future of the island can be decided only by its people. Taiwan Premier Cho Jung-tai said that a "return" to China is not an option for the island's 23 million people.