Obama administration may downplay China strategic threat, U.S. lawmaker fears

According to a report in East-West Intell.com the ranking Republican on the House Armed Services Committee voiced concerns last week that Obama will downgrade the threat posed by China in the Quadrennial Defense Review, a four-yearly strategy review due to be finished this year.

Rep. Howard P. “Buck” McKeon (R-CA), said during a Jan. 13 hearing that he is concerned the QDR will downgrade the threat posed by China’s military buildup.

“When we receive the QDR, I will be looking closely at any changes to the [Pentagon's] assessment of China,” McKeon said. “My fear is that we will downgrade the China threat in an attempt to justify last year’s and future cuts to key defense programs.”

McKeon said that if the Pentagon concludes, as it did in 2006, that China remains the greatest potential military competitor of the United States, “then I expect the president’s budget to invest in the necessary capabilities to execute our contingency plans in Asia.”

McKeon also warned that the Nuclear Posture Review being undertaken by the departments of defense and energy on U.S. nuclear weapons “must be cognizant that any additional reductions in our strategic capabilities will only invite China to seek strategic parity with the United States.”

The QDR should address China’s conventional and nuclear arsenals; space weaponization as well as cyber-warfare advances. The concerns spring from Obama’s chaotic foreign policy practices, and a willingness to easily concede.