WASHINGTON (REUTERS) – General Mark Milley, the top US military officer, on Tuesday (Sept 28) staunchly defended calls with his Chinese counterpart that have raised Republican demands for his resignation, saying he had been aiming to ease tension with Beijing and not to “usurp authority”.

“At no time was I attempting to change or influence the process, usurp authority, or insert myself into the chain of command,” Gen Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Gen Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, called General Li Zuocheng of the People’s Liberation Army on Oct 30, 2020 and again on Jan 8 this year.

He said he sought to assure his Chinese counterpart the United States was stable and was not going to attack following US intelligence indicating Chinese concerns of a possible US strike.

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