Navy must speed up shipbuilding, modernization to keep pace with China, Russia at sea, analysts say

From Washington Times.com (Oct. 30, 2021):

China and Russia have dramatically accelerated their naval shipbuilding and modernization programs in recent years while the U.S. has struggled to improve its capacity for war-fighting missions and been tagged with a poor readiness rating from national security analysts.

The Chinese have made particularly notable strides. Their maritime buildup made global headlines a year ago when Pentagon officials sounded the alarm that Beijing’s total fleet of about 350 warships had surpassed the roughly 300 maintained by Washington.

The American force still vastly outstrips China’s in terms of power projection. The U.S. has 11 active aircraft carriers, and China has brought just two online since 2012.

The Chinese Communist Party, however, makes no secret of its goal to build a “world-class” military by 2050. U.S. analysts are increasingly wary that Washington will struggle to keep pace with China’s rapidly expanding shipbuilding operations.

“They’ve got a lot of shipyards and a lot of capacity,” said Brent Sadler, a retired U.S. naval officer and analyst with The Heritage Foundation. “They’re building lots of ships.”

Mr. Sadler authored the U.S. Navy section of The Heritage Foundation’s 2022 Index of U.S. Military Strength, an analysis updated annually.

For the second year in a row, the index gave the U.S. sea service overall scores of “marginal” and “trending toward weak,” with a specific naval capacity score of “weak.”

“A battle force consisting of 400 manned ships is required for the U.S. Navy to do what is expected of it today,” the index concluded. “The Navy’s current battle force fleet of 297 ships and intensified operational tempo combine to reveal a Navy that is much too small relative to its tasks.”

With regard to capability, the index said the Navy’s technological edge is “narrow[ing] against peer competitors China and Russia.”

“The combination of a fleet that is aging faster than old ships are being replaced and the rapid growth of competitor navies with modern technologies does not bode well for U.S. naval power,” the index said. [read more]