During a Press conference on the 1st of June, the Pentagon took up an aggressive stance towards China’s unlawful attempts to militarize many islands in the South China Sea. When provoked, director of the Joint Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, declared that the United States military had had enough experience in blowing up and taking over small islands in the Western Pacific. Owing to their history with the Pacific Islands since the Second World War, the United States had never been afraid of sending troops down to the Pacific to fight to their deaths to ensure peace over all the isolated islands in the area.
Recent developments in the tensions around South China Sea include China building a fully-militarized man-made island in the middle of the sea, and even going as far as to land nuclear-capable bombers on one of the artificial islands to claim the land theirs. McKenzie also stressed upon the upcoming increase in intensity of the Freedom of Navigation operations held in the South China Sea, owing to the fact that a certain Chinese ship had operated in a very ‘unprofessional manner’ with its counterpart US Navy ships.
Lt. McKenzie swore that the United States would not stand down while China was disobeying and expressing a complete disregard towards international law in the Pacific Islands. He promised that the US military would increase their supervision in the area to promote peace and protect the neutrality of all the islands in South China Sea. McKenzie also made it extremely clear that the United States Army was prepared to protect American, and allied interests in the region, no matter the cost.