Pentagon: Budget readies US for possible China confrontation

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Pentagon leaders have told Congress that the U.S. military must be ready for possible confrontation with China. And they’re pushing Congress to approve the Defense Department’s proposed $842 billion budget, which would modernize the force in Asia and around the world. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin says it’s a budget driven by the seriousness of the competition with the China. He made his remarks in testimony Thursday before the House Appropriations subcommittee on defense Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said China’s actions are “moving it down the path toward confrontation and potential conflict with its neighbors and possibly the United States.”