Army Takes US Military Lead Deterring China

With Chinese leader Xi Jinping poised for a precedent-defying third term as party head and set to be reconfirmed as president in March, Beijing appears certain to continue flexing its might through increasingly aggressive rhetoric and behavior – and the U.S. Army is planning to take the lead role among the American service branches in checking that aggression.

That message came loud and clear at last week's Association of the U.S. Army conference in Washington, D.C. The event occurred against the backdrop of rising tensions with the Communist giant, with Army Secretary Christine Wormuth calling China the Army's "pacing challenge" and stressing the need for the Army to be ready.