A four-star Air Force general is predicting the U.S. will be at war with China in 2025 and has already told officers to prepare.

“I hope I am wrong. My gut tells me we will fight in 2025,” Gen. Mike Minihan, head of Air Mobility Command, told officers in a memo sent on Friday, as first reported by NBC News.

“Xi secured his third term and set his war council in October 2022. Taiwan’s presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a reason. United States’ presidential elections are in 2024 and will offer Xi a distracted America,” said Minihan. “Xi’s team, reason, and opportunity are all aligned for 2025.”

According to a signed memo, at some point in February, Minihan will request Air Mobility Command personnel to start preparing by firing “a clip into a 7-meter target” and “aim for the head” with the purpose of understanding lethality. He also requests they update their emergency contacts and records.

Then in March, Minihahn will ask personnel to start legally preparing themselves. He also asks them to accept more risks in their training, saying, “If you are comfortable in your approach to training, then you are not taking enough risks.”

A Department of Defense spokesperson later told NBC News that Minihan’s memo is “not representative of the department’s view on China.”

Pentagon press secretary Brig. Gen. Patrick Ryder said in a statement in response to the memo that the U.S. defense strategy “makes clear that China is the pacing challenge for the Department of Defense” and that their focus is to work “alongside allies and partners to preserve a peaceful, free and open Indo-Pacific,” the Washington Post reported.

The fear of a Chinese invasion comes as Taiwanese officials are growing more concerned over China’s hostility within the east Asian region.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu stated last week that he believes China will most likely invade the small island nation by 2027 as he is facing several domestic problems. Furthermore, Taiwanese officials extended the country’s mandated military service from four months to one year in December, citing concerns over China’s aggressiveness.

You can follow Ethan Letkeman on Twitter at @EthanLetkeman.