Stop the World: Armies key to Indo-Pacific deterrence, says former US generalArmies hold the key to credible deterrence in the Indo-Pacific because they form the backbone of regional security networks and are harder for China to neutralise, according to a former commanding general of the US Army Pacific. Appearing on ASPI’s Stop the World podcast, recently retired general Charles Flynn says Beijing would ultimately need to move a large land force across the Taiwan Strait to fulfil its long held ambition of controlling the democratically self-governed island. ‘The A2/AD (anti-access/area denial) arsenal the Chinese have designed is primarily designed to defeat our air and maritime capabilities,’ Flynn says. ‘In order to invade Taiwan, you actually have to generate an invasion force, and that is its army,’ he says. On worrisome trends in the region, Flynn warns of Beijing’s expanding presence in Pacific island nations, describing a pattern of loans, infrastructure projects and police training that could give China control of key facilities.