WARSAW, Poland — The former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe says it’s likely the United States will be at war with China in 15 years.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges said at a Warsaw security forum on Wednesday that European allies will have to do more to ensure their own defenses against Russia as Americans focus more on the Pacific.

Retired Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges speaks to reporters on the sideline of the Warsaw Security Forum in Warsaw, Poland, Wednesday Oct. 24, 2018. Hodges, who was U.S. Army commander in Europe from 2014-17, told the forum that it's likely but not inevitable that the United States will be at war with China in 15 years. (AP Photo/Vanessa Gera)

Hodges said: "I think in 15 years — it's not inevitable, but it is a very strong likelihood — that we will be at war with China. The United States does not have the capacity to do everything it has to do in Europe and in the Pacific to deal with the Chinese threat."

Hodges, now with the Center for European Policy Analysis, was U.S. Army commander in Europe during 2014-17.