Mackenzie Eaglen
Since the end of the Second World War, the U.S. has been the strongest military power in the Indo-Pacific. However, China’s rapid military growth in the Indo-Pacific is tipping the scales in regional strength. Too often, Chinese and U.S. military power is compared on a global scale, where the U.S. military, equipped and trained to project power across the planet, has the clear advantage.
But the military balance in Asia is becoming less clear. China has increasingly demonstrated its ability to build modern military capabilities at size and scale, and the ability to project that power regionally.
These shifting scales should be setting off alarm bells in Washington. The latest iteration of the Pentagon’s annual report to Congress on the Chinese military has stated that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is evolving its capabilities and concepts to strengthen their ability to “fight and win wars” against the United States. House China Committee Chairman Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI) has said that China “has enough weapons to overwhelm our air and missile defenses” that protect U.S. bases in the Pacific.
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