This is just ridiculous as an exercise in logic:
China bullies its neighbors, hacks computers around the world, and tests a missile designed to sink American aircraft carriers. The US Navy reallocates its newest and most combat-capable warships to the Pacific. The retired Vice-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the sinophilic Gen. James "Hoss" Cartwright, says the Air Force and Navy's high-profile AirSea Battle concept "is demonizing China."
China does all that plus threatens to nuke our cities in a conflict over Taiwan and claims the entire South China Sea, and our response to their rhetoric and capabilities is demonizing China?
If I may be so bold, China's demonic actions are demonizing China.
In an age when China is determined to split us apart from friends and allies who have the misfortune to lie close to China, our efforts to reassure our friends and allies that we can still reach them in spite of Chinese military power is demonizing China?
Which isn't just a super nice thing to do, of course. By making sure our allies know that we can reach them to help, we keep them our allies. Otherwise, fear might inspire allies to split apart from us to avoid angering a power that can't be stopped.
Or perhaps inspire nuclear proliferation.
So when we say things like this, our allies can count on our capabilities to match our words:
The United States says it's committed to defending Japan and opposes any coercive action by China to seize territory under Japanese control in the East China Sea.
Although I do wish our Secretary of State would work on his serious face a little more.
Further, while I take the point that it would be helpful in a crisis to know officers on the other side of the Pacific if it can defuse a crisis, I worry that military-to-military contacts risk giving the Chinese insights that would encourage the Chinese to fight us.
This response to the concern of Cartwright is on target:
Said one member of the audience: "Perhaps, to please people, we could change 'AirSea Battle' to 'AirSea Hug.'"
Personally, I worry more about whether we understand the point of Air-Sea Battle. Yes, just being able to penetrate the shield to reach our allies is important. But for our fleet itself, once again, just what do we do when we get there?
Don't be shy about why we need better capabilities in the western Pacific. China isn't confused about it. Some people just can't be pleased. And just as important, we shouldn't confuse ourselves in a pointless effort to pretend this isn't about China.
