Milley: World has potential for international conflict between powers

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US Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told graduating cadets at the US Military Academy at West Point that they will be responsible for making sure the country is ready for future wars.

During the ceremony, Milley told the cadets that “The world you are being commissioned into has the potential for significant international conflict between great powers. And that potential is increasing, not decreasing.”

“Whatever overmatch we, the United States, enjoyed militarily for the last 70 years is closing quickly, and the United States will be, in fact, we already are challenged in every domain of warfare, space, cyber, maritime, air, and of course land," he considered.

The top military official pointed out that the US is being tested in Europe through the war in Ukraine, "in Asia by China’s dramatic economic and military growth as well as North Korea’s nuclear and missile threats, and in the Middle East and Africa by instability from terrorists," the Associated Press quoted him as saying.

Milley highlighted that future warfare will be highly complex, which requires long-range precision weapons and new advanced technologies, revealing that the US has already provided Ukraine with new, high-tech drones and other weapons that are in the early prototype phases. 

The fundamental character of war and its weapons will continue to develop over the next 25-30 years, Milley noted.

The General pointed out that the US military can’t hold on to old concepts and weapons, considering that it must urgently modernize and develop its weapons "that can deter or, if needed, win in a global conflict," the AP said.

According to the news agency, Milley underlined that "the newly minted 2nd lieutenants will be fighting with robotic tanks, ships and airplanes, and relying on artificial intelligence, synthetic fuels, 3-D manufacturing and human engineering."