It appears American leaders may finally be realizing the existential threat posed by Asia’s ascendant superpower.
The understanding comes after lawmakers on the Commission on the National Defense Strategy worked for over a year studying current U.S. defense spending, implementation and strategy.
The findings were released in a 132-page report on Monday that speculates America could soon find itself facing an unprecedented defeat at the hands of another world power.
“The Commission finds that, in many ways, China is outpacing the United States and has largely negated the U.S. military advantage in the Western Pacific through two decades of focused military investment,” the report said.
China is able to get the most “bang” for its buck as it only has one theater of war to think about — the Pacific.
While the United States has vested interests and treaty-bound defensive obligations worldwide, China’s primary area of operation is the Chinese mainland and the waters surrounding it.
The People’s Liberation Army and Navy have already secured shoals and islands in the South China Sea, an international waterway that Beijing has largely claimed. These fortified specks of land are now host to ship-killing missiles that would make any hostile U.S. incursion near Chinese shores an incredibly risky gamble.
Lawmakers made the gravity of the situation completely clear in the report.
“The U.S. public are largely unaware of the dangers the United States faces or the costs (financial and otherwise) required to adequately prepare,” the report read. “They do not appreciate the strength of China and its partnerships or the ramifications to daily life if a conflict were to erupt.
Would the United States win in a war against China?
“They are not anticipating disruptions to their power, water, or access to all the goods on which they rely. They have not internalized the costs of the United States losing its position as a world superpower.”
The commission says in any conflict against Beijing, the “support and resolve” of the American people will be a make-or-break factor in our nation’s survival.
A war of this scale erupting would be a completely new challenge for most Americans alive today.
Modern U.S. citizens have no concept of rationing or wartime economies, especially one as severe as what a Sino-American showdown could cause.
Any conflict against the Beijing would undoubtedly be conflict on a scale the world hasn’t seen since the fiercest days of World War II.
The report noted China’s navy is now the largest in the world, and the force boasts a vast production capacity that continues to grow while America’s own naval infrastructure is in a state of decline.
The People’s Liberation Army is also undergoing a massive buildup across domains and is predicted to soon be a near-peer or superior power.
Beijing’s military strengthening will undoubtedly continue. Will America’s military be ready to face it and triumph when the day arrives?
