The U.S. possesses a globally superior military and unmatched alliance network—advantages built over generations. However, this dominance is threatened by increasingly powerful adversaries, including Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea, who challenge U.S. military strength and global influence.
From incidents over South Carolina to those in Cuba, China’s escalating capabilities pose a growing risk to the U.S. homeland.
Concerningly, some in Congress seem satisfied with arbitrarily limiting defense spending. Prioritizing budget constraints over strategic needs emboldens adversaries and endangers national security.
Historically, the U.S. relied on geographic isolation for security. But oceans offer limited protection against modern threats. Cyberattacks have unlimited range, enemy satellites provide constant surveillance, and drones are revolutionizing warfare. While the 2023 airspace violation gained attention, the recent drone flights over sensitive U.S. sites in Virginia are more troubling. These drones’ limited range suggests launches from nearby foreign operatives or forces. Similar incidents have been reported since 2022.
While China has been labeled a “peer competitor” by the Pentagon, it’s more accurately a leading rival. Beijing’s military might is now comparable to the U.S.’s, according to the Pentagon and the intelligence community.
Consequently, China boasts the world’s largest navy, coast guard, army, and submarine-based strategic missile forces. Its air force is now the world’s largest, surpassing the U.S. Air Force in size. China’s space capabilities are a significant concern for the U.S. Space Force, which struggles with limited resources. Projections suggest that within a decade, China will match or exceed the U.S. and Russia in nuclear-armed intercontinental missiles.
Amid this Asian military expansion, the U.S. military is shrinking. Years of budget uncertainty and caps have hampered weapons procurement and technological advancements. This has resulted in the smallest U.S. Army since World War II, a Navy half its Cold War size, and an Air Force with a near-record low number of aircraft.
While Washington imposes restrictive budget caps, hindering the military’s ability to address global challenges, China steadily increases military spending. Furthermore, China actively seeks regional dominance in the Indo-Pacific to achieve its military and political goals. The economic consequences of ceding the Indo-Pacific to China are catastrophic, given our intricate supply chain dependencies.
A strong U.S. military is essential for global peace and prosperity, acting as a deterrent against threats to the international order. Failing to project strength and support allies will signal weakness to Beijing, potentially triggering a Taiwan invasion. Preventing such a war is paramount; we must never allow China to doubt our strength or resolve.
Although the U.S. maintains the world’s most advanced military, its resources are stretched thin. China’s Indo-Pacific focus means it doesn’t need to match U.S. military size to threaten American interests and global stability.
The post-World War II national security consensus rests on deterring adversaries. Failing to maintain our military advantage increases the likelihood of global conflict, drawing the U.S. in economically and militarily.
Now is not the time for weakness or hesitation.
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