World War III: What a U.S. vs. China War Would Look Like

Conservative News DailyFebruary 12, 2023

Published 2/10/2023 – What a War Between the U.S. and China Would Look Like: How does the “a href=”=” work?https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/12/5-places-world-war-iii-could-start-in-2023/”>unthinkable happen? The United States of America and China are inextricably locked into the Pacific Rim’s international trade system. Some argue that this is a good thing. War It is impossible to imagine, but people have fought wars. It is believed impossible Have a href=”https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/01/joe-biden-has-big-plans-to-sanction-russia-if-putin-invades-ukraine/”>nevertheless broken out.

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This article has been updated Argument made eight years agoThe focus should be less on tactical and operational details in a US-China conflict and more on strategic objectives of the major combatants prior, during, and afterwards. Although a war between China and the United States could transform East Asia’s geopolitics, it could also leave some key elements unaffected. A conflict between China, the US and Russia might only be remembered as tragic. “The First Sino-American War.”

America vs. China – How the War Would Begin

Taiwan The newest is Most likely to trigger war China and the United States. The PRC’s assertiveness in Taiwan is combined with the Biden’s decision.https://www.reuters.com/world/biden-says-us-forces-would-defend-taiwan-event-chinese-invasion-2022-09-18/”>administration It will honor its commitment It has been difficult to imagine an alternative source for conflict to the one that was being used to defend the island.

Beijing’s assessment of the global political environment will dictate how war starts. Direct attacks on US military assets in the theater would be the best way to achieve operational surprise and inflict maximum damage on the Americans, before they can respond. China may be able to see political benefits in attacking the US pre-emptively, rather than provoking one. China would launch military operations against Taiwan, and then wait for the US to respond. This is in an attempt to win global sympathy, and possibly a political debate that disrupts the US.

However, this would allow the United States unrestricted mobilization and staging of its forces. It is likely that the war will be started with a Chinese attack upon American forces at a time of increasing crises. Despite these facts, China’s military power is growing Over the last 20 years, the PLA preferred not to face the full fury and retaliation of a mobilize American military response. Therefore, U.S. forces need to be ready to take on and withstand an initial Chinese blow that would incapacitate their response and allow them to capture the country quickly. Taiwan.

How would the Allies Respond?

Over the past eight years, the U.S.-led alliance system in the Western Pacific region has become more rigid. Japan has The threat was fully understood China’s threat and has begun to re-militarize. The U.S. has engaged Australia United Kingdom in a high level a href=”https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/04/05/fact-sheet-implementation-of-the-australia-united-kingdom-united-states-partnership-aukus/”>technology Security deal This would confirm the military support between both countries. The U.S. also encouraged Europe to get out of China’s technology supply chains. The U.S.-Indian relationship has steadily improved over time as tensions between Delhi, Beijing and China have increased and Indian dependence on Russia is approaching a dead end.

CSIS recently assumed Japanese participation in the conflict’s beginning, a conclusion that is consistent with regional analytical thinking. But, it is likely that the extent of Japanese support depends on how the war began. Some British and Australian intervention can be relied upon by the U.S. Europe (and we don’t mean France) will likely remain neutral militarily, but will assist. Shape the financial and economic future The war’s conditions. The allied response could also impact the waging the economic and financial aspects. The US-China Trade relations are a huge part of our lives A large chunk of the world’s economy is dependent on this relationship, and breaking it apart would have terrible consequences before the first bomb was dropped. Both India and South Korea have huge wild cards. They both prefer China to the US, but it would be a risky move to intervene directly.

China has many friends, but not very many. Both countries are important. Russia And North Korea In any conflict, Pyongyang could play a crucial role. Pyongyang’s contribution would probably be ensuring that Seoul and to a lesser extent Tokyo remain distracted from challenging China’s main effort. Russia could play a destabilizing role, contributing to China’s defense industrial needs while threatening disruptive action across a range of fronts. It would all depend on Russia remaining engaged in. Ukraine.

The “Hold Your Breath” Moments

The first “hold your breath” The PLA will launch an attack on a US aircraft carrier. This is the largest escalation against America that can be made, if not a nuclear strike. The war does not involve message sending and posturing, but a commitment to full-scale capabilities to defeat and destroy enemy forces. The most dangerous attack would be one that targets a carrier of the United States. ballistic missile volley Not only are these missiles difficult to intercept, but they also could be carrying nuclear warheads. The outcome of the first fusillade will determine a lot.

The next terrifying moment is when U.S.-made missiles will strike the Chinese mainland. These could be hours or minutes after an attack against an American carrier. The nuclear advantage the United States has over China will make the first wave US missile attacks extremely stressful for the civilian and military leadership of the PRC.

At some point, China will need to sortie the greater portion of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Two additional consequences will follow. “hold your breath” moments. First, a Chinese warship will be destroyed. This could include an aircraft carrier or big amphibib. U.S. forces will regard this as a major objective, and China’s reaction will reveal much about Beijing’s commitment to the war. The next moment will involve China’s SSBN force. It will be a clear indication that Beijing is either very confident or extremely vulnerable if it decides to send its boomers into the American-infested areas.

Finally, the US air force and its land forces might be defeated on Formosa. If war turns sour, US policymakers may need to take deep breaths and consider how much blood and treasure they will spend on defense of the ROC government. The entire Pacific Rim and the rest of the world will be watching this process closely.

Who will win?

It’s very hard to say who would win, as much depends on how the war will begin. The Center for Strategic and International Studies Recently prepared a report A series of wargames simulated a Sino/American war over Taiwan. The CSIS study determined A US victory that leaves Taiwan autonomous is the most likely outcome to any conflict. This assumes that Taiwan will resist vigorously, that the U.S. will respond immediately, that the U.S. has access to Japanese bases and that there are enough anti-ship missile cruise missiles.

However, this formula leaves a “a href=”https://www.rand.org/paf/projects/us-china-scorecard.html”>bewildering Unknowns We don’t know how well Chinese anti-ship ballistic missiles will function, how destructive US cyber-attacks against the PLAN will prove, or how dangerous the F-22 Raptor will be to a-href=”https://www.19fortyfive.com/2022/12/j-10c-the-deadly-fighter-jet-spine-of-chinas-air-force/”>conventional Chinese fightersHow effective the various elements of the PLAN will work together in combat. These are the key questions that will determine how successful the PLAN elements in combat.

Domain Command

How much will the United States affect Chinese communications, surveillance and electronic capabilities?

The communication between the shooters and the seers will be key to any attack on US forces. If the U.S. can interrupt this communication, it could destabilize the PLA. In contrast, cyber-warfare by China against the United States could increase domestic stakes for American policymakers. In space How resilient can the U.S. satellite network resist attack by Chinese electronic and kinetic methods? How much damage will the U.S. cause to Chinese surveillance networks and reconnaissance networks?

Missiles vs. Missile Defenses:

How will the USN/USAF defeat Chinese cruise and ballistic missiles? The PLAAF, PLAN and Second Artillery has many options For attacking US forces deployed and deploying US troops in depth. American survival ability depends on their ability to defend themselves against ballistic and cruise missiles as well as their ability to strike and destroy launchers in and around China.

Joint Operations

How will the different elements of the PLA work together? What about in the context high-intensity disruptive military operations

The PLA, unlike the U.S. military has very little combat experience over the past three decades. How effective will the U.S. commitment work? “jointness” Are you ready to work with the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force and U.S. Marines?

Quality vs. Quantity:

Chinese forces are likely to have local numerical superiority in certain types of assets such as aircraft and ships. The gap between U.S. training and technology will affect how American forces can prevail in such situations.

How the War ends and the Peace begins

This war doesn’t end with a surrender Signed on to a battleship. Instead, the round ends with one participant feeling defeated, disillusioned, and probably preparing for next round. Control of Formosa can only be achieved by one party. The Taipei government or Beijing will either remain in power following a ceasefire. It is hard to imagine a deal that would give both the Taipei and Beijing some territorial control over the island. The war will be over when the United States stops supporting Republic of China forces in Formosa or when the Chinese naval and air forces are so weak that they cannot even consider a cross-strait invasion of Taiwan or quarantine of Taiwan. This will mark the end of the war or at the very least, the end to high-intensity combat between China and America. It might take time for an enduring ceasefire to be reached, since the defeated government will make its own peace with the result and figure out how to sell it internally.

If China loses but the People’s Republic of China remains essentially intact and the Chinese Communist Party still in power, then “peace” This will only be an interlude between the next war. The CCP cannot accept Taiwan’s permanent independence nor maintain its domestic legitimacy. China can win by either forcing the United States toward Chinese goals or by dismantling the alliance framework which motivates and legitimizes US action. If South Korea, Japan and Taiwan no longer want to fight, the United States can’t continue the war. Both of these would result in significant damage to US military forces, and potentially to the US economy. This would have unforeseeable and long-lasting effects on US domestic politics.

The aftermath of any victory will feel more like a wilderness than peace, regardless of who it is.

A Window for War

The window to war between China and the United States could be long. For the foreseeable future, diplomatic, military, technological and other resources will be required to prepare either side for victory. Still, we can’t forget that the China, Taiwan, Japan, and the United States trade network constitute the heart of the most dynamic economic regions the world has ever seen. War would degrade that engine and impoverish everyone.

It will take a lot of diplomatic skills and political acumen to prevent war, but it is worth the effort.

Expertise and experience as an author:

A 19FortyFive Contributing editor, Dr. Robert Farley Since 2005, he has been teaching security and diplomacy courses in the Patterson School. He earned his BS in 1997 from the University of Oregon, and his Ph. He received his BS from the University of Oregon in 1997 and his Ph.D. from the University of Washington, 2004. Dr. Farley is also the author of Grounded, The Case for Abolishing America’s Air Force (University Press of Kentucky 2014), Battleship Book (Wildside 2016, 2016), Patents for Power : Intellectual Property Law and Diffusion of Military Tech (University of Chicago 2020), and other publications. Waging war with gold: National security and the finance domain across the ages (Lynne Rienner, 2023). A number of magazines and journals have featured his contributions, including the National Interest magazine, Diplomat: APAC, World Politics Review and American Prospect. Dr. Farley was also the senior editor and founder of Lawyers, Guns, and Money.