China’s newest aircraft carrier “Fujian” I’m at sea. The world’s largest navy currently has three aircraft carriers. This week, China’s Ministry of Defense proudly released new images of its newest aircraft carrier undergoing sea trials.
Like nearly every aspect of China’s military, the People’s Liberation Army Navy is growing at an astonishing pace. It was reported that China plans to spend $1.4 trillion on weapons from 2024 to 2028. global data. China’s military spending is officially increasing at 6%. Unofficially, analysts know that China is sandbagging these numbers and that its spending is closing in on the United States. Purchasing power makes a big difference: $1.4 trillion buys far more Chinese hardware than American steel.Republican Senator Dan Sullivan Estimate China’s real defense budget will increase even more About $700 billion per year.
Since joining the U.S. Navy as a reservist in 1999, I have watched my beloved maritime service slip further and further behind. When I raised my right hand as a new ensign, the U.S. Navy was the only “blue water” fleet in the world. Most countries only had navies capable of defending the brown coastal waters around their coastlines. The idea of a great Chinese fleet was laughable, as the Russians barely managed to get out of port. When China triggered a crisis in the Taiwan Strait in 1996, President Clinton humbled China by sending not one but two US aircraft carriers, the USS Independence and the USS Nimitz., Into the fray. Chicoms withdrew.
Sadly, the United States has ignored its navy for 20 years while Uncle Sam financed nation-building in Iraq and Afghanistan. Emphasis was placed on special forces, counterinsurgency operations, and building the U.S. military. The year I joined, the U.S. fleet was steadily shrinking from her 336 ships. less than 300 today. (Related: Morgan Murphy: America is really bad at foreign interference. Why does Biden think Ukraine will change?)
As a result, the U.S. Navy in 2024 will be smallest fleet We have as many senior officers as we had at the height of the Cold War, which means our navy boasts more admirals than warships. Embarrassingly, 40% of our country’s attack submarines are not in service. Suffering from an erosion of its culture of discipline, military demeanor, and physical fitness, the U.S. Navy’s fighting spirit is being destroyed by the Pentagon’s diverse mandarin.
It’s all about as much of a threat as the USNS Harvey Milk.
Although the U.S. Navy still far exceeds China in tonnage, advanced maritime capabilities, and glorious maritime heritage of tactics and training, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is sprinting to catch up.China’s shipbuilding industry boasts a higher production volume than American shipyards 232 to 1According to a US Navy intelligence report leaked last year. Additionally, China’s deadly anti-ship missile mounts would quickly overwhelm U.S. Navy aircraft carrier battle groups within 1,000 miles of Taiwan.
The U.S. flag flies in front of the U.S. Navy Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) in the port of Klaipeda, Lithuania, August 22, 2022. Reuters/Ints Kalnins
Let’s hope that a Chinese carrier battle group sailing between Florida and our first island chain doesn’t wake up the average American to the threat.
The United States Navy is the guardian of the world’s oceans. It remains the most advanced and highly trained maritime force on the planet. I can freely attest that my shipmates are some of the best people I have ever worked with in any industry.
But the young officers I swear into the Navy today will face far different headwinds than I did during my active duty years. For the U.S. Navy to rule the waves for generations to come, Congress must encourage American shipbuilding.
Money can be found. Instead of pumping another $185 billion into Ukraine or $153 billion into student loan forgiveness, those dollars would be better spent increasing the amount of work in American shipyards. In the future, $300 billion could increase the U.S. Navy to the necessary fleet size (500 ships).
With 500 ships, the U.S. Navy will be able to command the seas and protect our nation for generations to come.
The time to start is now. There’s an old adage in the Navy that one president buys a fleet for the next president. That wisdom still applies today because of long delivery times. President Biden’s latest budget once again makes reckless cuts to the Navy and the Department of Defense. America’s next commander in chief will have to row twice as hard to keep the Navy afloat.
morgan Murphy is a military thought leader, a colonel in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and a former press secretary to the Secretary of Defense and national security adviser in the U.S. Senate.
The views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of the Daily Caller News Foundation.
All content produced by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent, nonpartisan news distribution service, is available free of charge to legitimate news publishers with large audiences. All republished articles must include our logo, reporter byline, and DCNF affiliation. If you have any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact us at licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.
