Stanley McChrystal, a top retired general and Biden adviser, tells Axios that “China’s military capacity has risen much faster than people appreciate,” and the U.S. is running out of time to counterbalance that in Asia and prevent a scenario such as it seizing Taiwan.
Why it matters: McChrystal, the former commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, recently briefed the president-elect as part of his cabinet of diplomatic and national security advisers. President-elect Joe Biden is considering which Trump- or Obama-era approaches to keep or discard, and what new strategies to pursue.
In the interview, McChrystal said a nuclear-armed North Korea is still the most pressing national security threat — just as President Obama warned President-elect Trump in late 2016 — and “there’s no negotiating them away” from being a nuclear power despite Trump’s flashy efforts.