But there could be a war of, quote, necessity, anytime between now and Aug. 1 of 2027, and there can be a war of choice anytime after August of 2027,” the leader of U.S. Indo-Pacom Command told a standing-room-only audience at the Honolulu Defense Forum, referring to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Liberation Army. But unlike China, which invests billions of dollars globally on messaging and information operations, in the United States that has “always been something that was sprinkled on top of an existing policy, rather than conceived of… a really central domain of competition, which it is, and Beijing absolutely sees it that way,” Ely Ratner, the former assistant defense secretary for Indo-Pacific security affairs, told Defense One. “China’s ability to shape the narrative really does have an enormous effect on the behavior of other countries,” he said, but noted that unlike China, which has built a false image of itself and maligned the United States in its messaging, the United States does not need to engage in disinformation.
Author: Jennifer Hlad
Published at: 2026-01-13 23:24:07
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