China’s Increasing Aggression Is ‘Generational Challenge,’ Austin Says in Message to Armed Forces

U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin speaks to the media at Ramstein Air Base in Ramstein-Miesenbach, Germany, on Jan. 20, 2023. Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images

The U.S. military must prepare to confront China and prevent its communist regime from reshaping the international order in its image, according to a new memo from the secretary of defense.

Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin wrote that communist China seeks to force the international community to acquiesce to its authoritarian demands and must be stopped.