Biden announces new Pentagon-run China task force

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Wednesday announced at the Pentagon a review of how the military is postured to deter China in the Pacific region.

Biden, who was joined by Vice President Kamala Harris as he made his first visit to the department since taking office, said the review will help “chart a strong path forward on China-related matters.”

“It will require a whole-of-government efforts, bipartisan cooperation in Congress, and strong alliances and partners,” Biden said. “That is how we will meet the China challenge and ensure the American people win the competition of the future.”

The effort, described by the department as a “sprint,” is aimed at delivering its findings to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin within four months; however, the report is not expected to include a public-facing document.

It will be made up of “up to” 15 civilian and uniformed officials, and will be led by Ely Ratner, a former deputy national security adviser to Biden who joined the department as Austin’s special assistant on China.

Per a department fact sheet, the authors will take a deep dive into the department’s strategy; operational concepts; technology and force structure; force posture and force management; intelligence; alliances and partnerships; and military relations with China.

Under the Trump administration, the Defense Department shifted itself to focus more on China, with resources increasing to the Pacific and the creation of the new role of deputy assistant secretary of defense to solely focus on China.

A focus on the Asian country appears to be one of the few areas where the Trump and Biden administrations share common ground, as Biden has signaled a whole-of-government approach, including appointing Kurt Campbell as the White House Asia coordinator.

The review joins a growing number of oversight efforts launched by Austin since his Jan. 22 confirmation. Last week, Austin announced a broad force global posture review as well as a 60-day “stand down” period during which commanders are to discuss extremism in the military. He also issued guidance that environmental issues should be factored into strategic planning and the budget.

Aaron Mehta was deputy editor and senior Pentagon correspondent for Defense News, covering policy, strategy and acquisition at the highest levels of the Defense Department and its international partners.

华盛顿——周三，乔·拜登总统在五角大楼宣布，将对美国在太平洋地区的军事部署进行审查，以遏制中国。

拜登在就任总统以来首次访问国务院时，副总统卡马拉·哈里斯陪同他一同前往。拜登表示，此次审查将有助于“在涉华事务上制定一条强有力的前进道路”。

拜登说：“这将需要政府各部门的共同努力、国会两党的合作，以及强大的联盟和伙伴。只有这样，我们才能应对中国的挑战，并确保美国人民在未来的竞争中获胜。”

该部门将这项工作描述为“冲刺”，目标是在四个月内将调查结果提交给国防部长劳埃德·奥斯汀；然而，预计该报告不会包含面向公众的文件。

该委员会将由“至多”15名文职和制服官员组成，由伊莱·拉特纳领导，他曾是拜登的副国家安全顾问，后来加入国务院担任奥斯汀的中国事务特别助理。

根据该部门的情况说明书，作者将深入探讨该部门的战略；作战概念；技术和部队结构；部队态势和部队管理；情报；联盟和伙伴关系；以及与中国的军事关系。

在特朗普政府时期，国防部调整了工作重心，更加关注中国，增加了对太平洋地区的资源投入，并设立了专门负责中国事务的国防部副助理部长一职。

对这个亚洲国家的关注似乎是特朗普政府和拜登政府为数不多的共同点之一，因为拜登已经表示将采取全政府方针，包括任命库尔特·坎贝尔为白宫亚洲协调员。

此次审查是奥斯汀自1月22日获得任命以来发起的一系列监督举措之一。上周，奥斯汀宣布了一项全面的部队全球态势评估，以及为期60天的“暂停期”，在此期间，指挥官们将讨论军队中的极端主义问题。他还发布指导意见，要求将环境问题纳入战略规划和预算编制。

Aaron Mehta 曾任《国防新闻》副主编兼五角大楼高级记者，负责报道国防部及其国际合作伙伴最高层的政策、战略和采购事宜。