America Shipbuilding Snafus A


U.S. missteps allow China to launch the world’s largest navy. BY DAVID A. PATTEN


merica might lose. That fi nding, based on


dozens of war games and studies of a U.S.-China


confl ict over Taiwan, has triggered concern throughout the Pentagon. Analysts say even if America can


win, it would come at a terrible cost. “We’re not going to like the out-


come,” retired Navy Capt. Brent Ramsey tells Newsmax. “There’ll be hundreds of ships sunk and thou- sands of people dead — and we might not win.” That strong dose of reality from a


captain who devoted his entire life to the Navy is just the latest warning that America’s fl eet may be just a shadow of its former strength. The No. 1 reason a war in the East


and South China seas would be so bloody — China’s vast numerical advantage in warships, exacerbated by expensive, embarrassing U.S. fail- ures to successfully launch its latest shipbuilding programs. China now boasts the world’s larg-


est Navy and is adding warships to its fl eet at an impressive rate. By 2026 — one year before the date by which President Xi Jinping told his military it must be ready to launch an over-


whelming attack on Taiwan — China is projected to have over 400 naval vessels. Add in China’s militarized coast


guard and seagoing militia forces, and its actual ship strength is over 500.


The U.S. fl eet, meanwhile, is in


decline. Long gone is the 600-ship aspiration of the Reagan era. The cur- rent fl eet has 298 warships. Other signs of troubled waters:


“We’re not going to like the outcome. There’ll be hundreds of ships sunk and thousands of people dead — and we might not win.”


40 NEWSMAX | DECEMBER 2023 The Heritage Foundation’s 2023


Index of Military Readiness rated the U.S. Navy overall as “weak,” down from its 2022 rating of “marginal.” Critics warn the Navy brass has


become too focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion programs — going “woke” over social justice issues at the cost of military readiness. Over a 90-day period in 2022, the


Navy was forced to remove 13 com- manders for a variety of transgres- sions. Critics say it’s a warning sign of a systemic weakness in Navy lead- ership.


Former U.S. Ambassador Adm. — Retired Navy Capt. Brent Ramsey


Kenneth Braithwaite told Congress during his May 2020 confi rmation hearing to become secretary of the


Endanger National Defense, Say Experts


XINHUA/JIANG SHAN VIA GETTY IMAGES / DICKSON LEE/SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST VIA GETTY IMAGES/ ROMEO GACAD/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES


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