The U.S. Navy Is Falling Behind China, And The Pentagon Knows It
ByMackenzie EaglenPublished7 hours ago
The Pentagon recently released its annual report on China’s military developments and its findings are clear: China is eager to continue earning its keep as the Pentagon’s “pacing challenge,” while our military struggles to keep up.
China’s Naval Developments
Among a list of rapid developments in Beijing’s nuclear arsenal, growing missile capabilities, and widespread force modernization, the report indicates a few troubling trends when it comes to the differences in the size and strength of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) versus the United States Navy.
When it comes to putting hulls in the water, Beijing is far and away ahead of the United States. China has continuously outpaced the U.S. in shipbuilding capabilities and shipyard capacity.
Indeed, the shipbuilding divide between China and the United States is vast. A recently declassified intelligence slide from the Office of Naval Intelligence estimates that China has 232 times the shipbuilding capability of the United States, owing to its much larger shipbuilding manufacturing industry.
The Pentagon’s China power report revealed that in the last year alone, Beijing’s navy increased the size of its fleet by 30 ships. By comparison, the U.S. Navy has grown by just two ships since last year.
https://www.19fortyfive.com/2023/10/the-u-s-navy-is-falling-behind-china-and-the-pentagon-knows-it/
