Defense News:

The U.S. Navy has adopted a “fight tonight” mentality as both China and Russia grow more aggressive, the chief of naval operations said, meaning the service must become more ready and more lethal for a near-term conflict.

Adm. Mike Gilday said he stands by prioritizing readiness, then lethality and then growing the size of the fleet, but said during remarks at the Atlantic Council Wednesday the potential for a conflict with China in the next couple years makes it important to do all three.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken this week said China may act “on a much faster timeline” than previously thought, following a Communist Party congress in which Chinese leader Xi Jinping reportedly said China reserves the “option to take all necessary measures” to reunify with Taiwan.

“What we’ve seen over the past 20 years is that they have delivered on every promise they’ve made earlier than they said they were going to deliver on it,” Gilday added. “When we talk about the 2027 window, in my mind, that has to be a 2022 window or potentially a 2023 window; I can’t rule it out.”

He was referencing the remarks of retired Adm. Phil Davidson, the former chief of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, who said last year China might seize Taiwan by 2027.

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