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WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States faces considerable challenges in its shipbuilding capabilities, falling significantly behind China, as federal lawmakers and analysts have pointed out. This issue arises amidst efforts by the Biden administration to enhance the nation’s capacity to develop and produce weaponry and other defense materials essential for potential military engagements.
During a recent congressional hearing, Rep. John Moolenaar, the Republican chair of the House Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party, expressed concerns regarding the U.S. military’s ability to “deter and win a fight” against China. He emphasized the urgent need for policy reforms and increased resources to enhance U.S. deterrence strategies.
“To avoid conflict, we require bold policy shifts and substantial investments now,” Moolenaar highlighted.
Experts note that China’s navy not only ranks as the largest globally, but its shipbuilding capacity is estimated to be 230 times more extensive than that of the U.S. This gap raises alarms regarding U.S. military preparedness.
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, the committee’s top Democratic member, remarked that “for every oceangoing vessel we can construct, China has the ability to produce 359 in just one year.”
As the U.S. government identifies China as its primary “pacing challenge,” concerns mount regarding Beijing’s extensive peacetime military expansion. Officials warn that this buildup complicates U.S. strategies for responding effectively to possible conflicts, particularly in volatile regions like the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea.
Krishnamoorthi cautioned that an inadequate military industrial base could provoke adversarial actions and reaffirmed the necessity for bolstering this foundation to prevent potential conflicts with China.
“History indicates that we must maintain a robust defense industrial base to dissuade hostility and ensure that global autocrats reconsider before leading us into another catastrophic war,” he stated.
National security adviser Jake Sullivan described the effort to rectify these challenges as a “generational project,” noting the decline of the U.S. shipbuilding industry since the early 1980s.
“The lack of a strong commercial shipbuilding sector has undermined our naval capabilities,” Sullivan remarked at the Aspen Security Forum in Washington, emphasizing the fragility of the current system.
Sullivan highlighted the scale of the challenge, which has intensified due to the erosion of the U.S. manufacturing base that has led to a reduction in workforce and the exit of suppliers.
This broader issue reflects a diminished U.S. military industrial base, as seen by the pace at which Ukraine depleted U.S. artillery supplies following Russia’s invasion, exhausting a year’s production within just two months.
“Years of insufficient investment and consolidation have severely weakened our defense industrial capabilities, creating unavoidable repercussions,” Sullivan explained.
Adm. Samuel Paparo, head of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, cautioned that ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East are depleting vital U.S. weapon stockpiles, which could hinder military responses to potential confrontations with China.
He noted that supplying significant military aid, including air defense systems to Ukraine and Israel, is impacting U.S. capacity to address threats in the Indo-Pacific region.
“These actions are affecting our stock levels, and to suggest otherwise would not be truthful,” he stated during a recent talk at the Brookings Institution.
Analysis from experts at the Center for Strategic and International Studies underscores that China’s rapid military advancement could provide it with a decisive edge over the U.S., particularly in a conflict lasting beyond several weeks.
“China’s expansive shipbuilding capabilities would offer a strategic benefit in prolonged warfare, allowing it to swiftly repair or replace damaged vessels compared to the United States,” the researchers remarked in a June report.
At the recent congressional hearing, experts proposed that while rebuilding the defense industrial base will take time, the U.S. should explore rapid innovations, including low-cost and autonomous systems, while also leveraging the resources of allied nations.
“We should investigate co-production opportunities, whether that involves munitions in Australia or shipbuilding in Korea,” suggested William Greenwalt, a non-resident senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute.
“Our priority must be to enhance production numbers as quickly as possible,” he concluded.
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