By Oyintari Ben
A fleet must be ready for a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, which may occur at any time before 2024, according to the senior commander of the US Navy (USN), which is much sooner than the previously projected date of 2027.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday raised eyebrows when he indicated that China is now pursuing “reunification on a much speedier timeframe,” according to Defense News Naval Warfare Reporter Megan Eckstein. Eckstein then questioned how the USN might create a ready fleet more quickly in light of the “Davidson Window” and bellicose rhetoric from China’s 20th National Congress.
The “Davidson Window” is Admiral Philip Davidson’s prediction that China will be able to invade Taiwan by 2027.
Admiral Michael Gilday, the Chief of Naval Operations, stated that assessment of the 20th National Congress is still ongoing but highlighted that the key to understanding China is “how the Chinese behave and what they do,” rather than what President Xi Jinping says.
Gilday noted that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had kept every promise it had made over the previous two decades well in advance of schedule. Gilday stated, “In my perspective, that has to be a 2022 window or possibly a 2023 window” in reference to the 2027 timeframe.
The chief of the navy issued a warning that much early deadlines cannot be ruled out. “I don’t mean to seem overly alarmist when I say that. We simply cannot wish that away.” Gilday noted that few experts had foreseen Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
