For New Robotic Ships, Pentagon Ignores China’s Dangerous “Phony War Fleet”

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Editors' Pick|20,146 views|Sep 7, 2020,12:53pm EDT
For New Robotic Ships, Pentagon Ignores China’s Dangerous “Phony War Fleet”
Craig Hooper
 

Why does the Pentagon downplay China's ″Phony Fleet″?

A few days after the Pentagon released its annual report to Congress on “Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China,” the Navy awarded six contracts to refine the requirements for the Navy’s future Large Unmanned Surface Vessel (LUSV).

The Pentagon report on China’s emerging military prowess telegraphed the Navy’s purported need for large unmanned surface vessels, trumpeting that China “has the largest navy in the world, with an overall battle force of approximately 350 ships and submarines”. But, of all the worrisome things in China’s growing arsenal, China’s conventional Navy, in itself, is an odd threat to highlight. While a strong conventional navy justifies the Pentagon’s interest in unmanned vessels, this was the wrong maritime threat to emphasize, and the report only made China’s conventional navy look far stronger than it is.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/craighooper/2020/09/07/for-new-robotic-ships-pentagon-ignores-chinas-dangerous-phony-war-fleet/#7aebbab97b3c