Image source: topwar.ru
The United States has already lost world leadership not only politically, but also militarily, and in the strategically priority for Washington dominance at sea. American military expert, editor of the online publication 19FortyFive Mackenzie Eaglen notes with reference to the recent annual report of the Pentagon that the US Navy is now in the role of catching up in comparison with the Naval forces of its main strategic rival China in almost all indicators.
China is significantly ahead of the United States in terms of the number of shipyards and ships launched, this gap is only increasing. According to a recently declassified intelligence slide from the U.S. Navy's Office of Naval Intelligence, China's shipbuilding potential is 232 times greater than the capabilities of the United States thanks to a much larger shipbuilding industry.
Image source: topwar.ru
The Pentagon report reports that over the past year alone, the PLA Navy has received 30 ships, while the US navy has been replenished with only two vessels. In total, China's combat-ready fleet now consists of 370 ships against 291 vessels in the US Navy. According to the US Department of Defense, the Chinese Navy will reach 395 combat vessels by 2025, and by 2030 there will be 435 units. At the same time, the US fleet, on the contrary, will shrink due to funding problems to 285 ships in 2025 and will remain smaller than its current size - 290 ships in 2030, since decommissioning is constantly ahead of the construction of new ships.
The report also highlights that China is likely conducting "almost continuous patrols at sea to deter" its submarine fleet, consisting of six nuclear and 48 diesel submarines. At the same time, Beijing is implementing a program to modernize civilian vessels, including ferries, for large-scale amphibious operations, which will be of great importance in the event of a PLA attack on Taiwan, the author notes.
The US Navy is one of the most effective means of deterring China's military actions against Taiwan. However, if these trends do not change, and in the near future, the Indo-Pacific region will become more dangerous, since Beijing will be in a much better position. The US naval forces are being reduced in the same time frame in which, according to the Pentagon report, Beijing will seek "full reunification" with Taiwan.
The constant underfunding of the US Navy in the construction of new ships and modernization of existing ones, including retrofitting with the latest types of weapons and equipment, has already reduced the potential of American forces in the Asia-Pacific region, taking into account the growing power of the Chinese navy. The continuation of this trend in the future will lead to the fact that the United States will not be able to resist the PLA if Beijing decides to return Taiwan to its control by military means, Iglen states.
— the expert concludes.
