Brig. Gen. Doug Wickert delivered “a sobering assessment of China’s growing military capabilities” in a briefing to community leaders, according to an Air Force press release. Wickert, the 412th Test Wing commander, spoke at Antelope Valley College.
Edwards Air Force Base is located in the Mojave desert about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
Wickert referenced the 1941 Pearl Harbor attack in his briefing, the press release said, drawing parallels to warnings about Pearl Harbor’s vulnerability prior to the attack.
Such frank talk about the possible impact on a community around an American military base, in the event of a war with China over Taiwan, is rare.
Notably, Wickert’s comments appear to be fully endorsed and approved by the Department of Defense, signaling a changing attitude.
Wickert compared Edwards, a massive facility focused on testing, research, and development, to its counterpart in the Chinese Air Force.
He presented intelligence data on the rapid modernization and “staggering” growth of the Chinese army, the press release said. Using Google Earth imagery, he pointed to Dingxin Test and Training Base in the Gobi Desert, China’s equivalent of Edwards AFB. “The base sits next to a full-scale two-dimensional replica of Taiwan’s Taichung International Airport,” according to the release.
“It’s kind of clear what their intention is,” Wickert said.
Wickert cited Xi’s 2013 instructions to the Chinese military to be ready to invade Taiwan by 2027. He made the connection with the local community, stressing “the Antelope Valley’s crucial role in national defense and deterrence,” particularly Northrop Grumman’s B-21 Raider production line at nearby Plant 42, and the aircraft’s test and development facilities at Edwards.
A third facility close by is the General Atomics-owned Grey Butte Field Airport, used for drone production, training, and research.
“If I was Chairman Xi and it’s time to go [to war], guess what I’m gonna target first?” Wickert asked. “So like it or not, we’re all in this together.”
The implication was clear: He expects China to target Edwards Air Force Base, nearby facilities, and all of the American homeland as part of its efforts to seize Taiwan.