MONTGOMERY, Ala. ( WIAT ) – As tensions in the Middle East continue to rise , officials with the Alabama National Guard prepare for the worst-case scenario.
Adjutant and Major Gen. David Pritchett with the forces say they are building an army to withstand the next two decades. The military is watching Eastern Europe very closely, especially China.
“China is the one country that could change the world order as we know it, so that’s kind of our attention,” Maj. Gen. Pritchett said.
The general says one of the main priorities involves modernizing equipment.
“For the individual soldiers and airmen both,” Maj. Gen. Pritchett said. “The mental preparation and physical preparation for a war that we would fight with a peer enemy like China is very different from the wars we have fought for the past 20 years plus.”
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If that response is by air, Col. Casey Hall with the Air Guard said new F-35s have the latest technology.
“We’ve termed it ‘Agile Combat Support,’” Col. Hall said. “It’s really just making sure that we can get to a place, get loaded up with gas and weapons and get out of there before we become a target. That’s definitely unique to the Pacific environment.”