![]() ![]() “China’s Belt and Road Initiative is gaining it significant leverage in the region, and our challenge is to work with our allies and partners to compete.” “I can’t tell you how many anecdotes where I had foreign leaders tell me about China’s behavior in forums, in conferences and other engagements, one-on-one and or in a multilateral setting, that is particularly troubling,” Esper said. ![]() armed forces, including training, equipment and placement of troops around the world, he said.Ī strong network of like-minded allies and partners is also critical, Esper noted, speaking to a Naval War College class that includes military officers from more than 60 nations.Įsper said he traveled to the Indo-Pacific region earlier this month, noting that the area is “our priority theater.” The secretary said he spoke to officials from nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea and Mongolia who are troubled by China’s aggressive behavior but are hesitant to confront its rising economic and political power. It will affect nearly all aspects of the U.S. He told the Naval War College audience that as senior military leaders of the future, they must have this context in mind. “How do we offset near-term readiness versus future modernization?” “I see the greatest challenge that I have, that the department faces, is how do we balance the present versus the future?” Esper said. The question for the Department of Defense, Esper said, is how to address that competition. Our strategic competitors are Russia and China.” ![]() We are now in an era of great-power competition. “Many of you spent most of your career fighting irregular warfare,” Esper said. 27, his first address at a military academic institution since taking office July 23.Įsper told his audience that the Department of Defense is focused on the competition posed by China and Russia, after 18 years of conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan. Esper spoke to students and faculty of the U.S. ![]()
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