Pentagon issues chilling warning that war with China 'could break out at any time'

China and Russia continue to flex their military might around the globe with both nations threatening or engaging in conflicts in a bid to expand their influence

Top Pentagon officials have warned a war between the US and China or Russia "can happen at any time."

US Secretary of Air Force Frank Kendell told academy students this month that the US and its allies needed a "sense of urgency." He added: "We may have to fight."

Kendell continued: "War with China or Russia is not unlikely, it can happen at any time." He is not alone with Admiral Samuel Paparo, who commands US forces in the Indo-Pacific region, telling the US-based Brookings Institution, that Chinese military activity showed it was more ready than ever.

China has threatened to forcibly bring Taiwan under Beijing's influence and views the island nation as a Chinese province that requires liberation. The overwhelming majority of people in Taiwan do not want to be under Chinese control and want to continue as an independent nation.

"This was the largest rehearsal we've seen," Kendell said of China's military manoeuvres around Taiwan in October, News.com.au reported. Beijing has been more hostile towards its neighbours and presses claims on areas that India views as its territories.

Chinese officials have also pursued further controlling the South China Sea to the expense of the Philippines, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia, all significantly smaller nations in terms of population and militaries. Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin continues his expansionist tendencies with the ongoing war in Ukraine

Putin's mouthpieces on Russian TV have regularly glorified the country's imperial past and the West has been wary of Moscow since the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. While incoming President Donald Trump has vowed to end the war within 24 hours, it is unclear he will be able to.

Ukrainian officials and Western allies have voiced concerns about the Republican's plan and fear Russia will use any peace deal to regroup and replace military equipment lost in the war. But Mr Trump has expressed fear that the war and any escalation could result in WW3 which many believe would result in a nuclear exchange.

Kendall said the US could face two nations with nuclear capabilities, namely China and Russia. “The threat of nuclear war has returned in what may be even more dangerous forms,” he said. “You will have to serve and live under a nuclear threat. You will have the task of preventing the greatest imaginable catastrophe in human history.”

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, as of January 2023 the total number of nuclear stockpile around the globe is 12,512 with the US and Russian missiles making up about 90 per cent of the total. China is believed to have hundreds of nuclear weapons with estimates varying.