American Thought Leaders

How might a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan unfold? China’s anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) strategy—a combination of missiles, submarines, sensors, and air defenses—is designed specifically to block and disrupt US air, sea, and even space and cyber power.

But the true outcome of the operation will hinge on the rapid mobilization of People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ground forces, argues recently retired four-star general Charles Flynn, former commander of U.S. Army Pacific.

He warns that the real “center of gravity” of a Chinese invasion will lie in its ability to rapidly assemble, deploy, and transport land forces across the Taiwan Strait.

“What keeps me up at night is their ability to actually pull that off in 96 hours,” Flynn says.

He is convinced that building a “strategic land power network” and forging deep, enduring ties with partner armies in Asia will be vital to deterring the Chinese regime.

In this episode, Flynn lays out a roadmap for how the U.S. military should rethink its strategy, technology, and partnerships to deter Beijing and safeguard its allies in the Indo-Pacific.

“This century is going to be defined by the relationship between the United States and China. … We’ve said we’ve pivoted to the Pacific for more than a decade, and in actual behavior and actions, that’s not accurate,” Flynn says.

Before commanding U.S. Army Pacific, Flynn served as the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Plans and Training (G3/5/7). He is the brother of General Michael Flynn, former national security advisor to President Donald Trump.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Amidst ongoing U.S. efforts to mediate a Russia–Ukraine peace and the release of a new U.S. national security strategy that has sent shockwaves through Europe, I’m sitting down with the foreign minister of Latvia, Baiba Braze, to get her unique perspective.

Latvia is a small Baltic country bordering Estonia, Lithuania, Belarus, and Russia. In the 1940s, the Soviets occupied Latvia and its neighboring countries—a reality that has made Latvia hyper-vigilant against potential Russian expansionism.

Latvia joined both the EU and NATO in 2004, alongside Lithuania and Estonia.

Latvia is one of the few NATO countries that spends considerably more than 2 percent of its GDP per year on its military.

“We keep reminding [other NATO countries] that it’s possible to do that, and we are showing you as our example. In our case, it’s 5 percent hard defense capabilities,” Braze said.

Latvia is working to reallocate state funding to hit a target of 4.91 percent of GDP in defense spending by 2026 and 5 percent in subsequent years.

In our wide-ranging interview, Braze discusses the Ukraine war, how she sees a potential peace agreement taking shape, and how pressure can be mounted on Russia. She’s traveled four times to Ukraine in the 18 months since her appointment as Latvia’s minister of foreign affairs.

Views expressed in this video are opinions of the host and the guest, and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.