Americans Fear China Could Become World’s New Military Superpower
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According to a Pentagon dossier, strong measures are being called for to counter China's rising power, which is seen as a potential threat to the United States' global position.
A new US Department of Defense Report suggests that China is America's only competitor, allegedly having the "intent, will, and capability to reshape the international order."
The two important defense documents - one is a 191-page US Department of Defense (DoD) Report - Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, 2023 - and the other is the Congressional Research Service (CRS) report of 65 pages - China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress - suggest that It is China and not Russia which poses challenge to the US position in the world.
The DoD report, which is based on the theory that China is the only competitor of the US “charts the current course of China's national, economic, and military strategy” and talks about its strategy, current capabilities, activities, and future modernization goals.
The US defense report also estimates that China had over 500 operational nuclear warheads as of May 2023.
According to the report, China is developing new intercontinental ballistic missiles. These may also be conventionally armed missiles. If designed and fielded, such capabilities would allow it to threaten conventional strikes against targets in the continental United States, Hawaii, and Alaska.
The two reports seem to be agreeing on the fact that China’s Navy has emerged as a formidable military force within the country's near-seas region and in the broader waters of the Western Pacific, the Indian Ocean, and the waters around Europe.
The People’s Liberation Army – Navy (PLA-N) has the largest navy in the world numerically, with an overall battle force of over 370 warships and submarines, including more than 140 major surface combatants.
China also has approximately 60 HOUBEI-class patrol combatants that carry anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), the American report said, adding that the overall battle force of its navy is expected to grow to 395 ships by 2025 and 435 ships by 2030.
Whereas, the US Navy reportedly has 291 warships, and its FY2024 budget submission projects that the Navy will include 290 battle-force vessels by the end of FY2030.
It indicates a gap between China’s naval shipbuilding effort and that of the US, and this will grow further unless the required measures are not taken.
The defense report says, in the near term, that the PLA-N would conduct long-range precision strikes against land targets from its submarine and surface combatants using land-attack cruise missiles, notably enhancing China’s power projection capability.
The strength of the PLA-N
The PLA-N currently operates six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines (SSBN), six nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSN), and 48 diesel-powered/air-independent powered attack submarines (SS).
The PLA-N’s submarine force is expected to grow to 65 units by 2025 and 80 units by 2035 despite the ongoing retirement of older hulls due to an expansion of submarine construction capacity, the report says.
China is also said to be increasing its inventory of conventional submarines capable of firing advanced anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM).
On China’s current or potential bases outside, the DOD report said that PLA-N’s distant naval operations are partly supported by China’s military base in Djibouti, where the Gulf of Aden meets the Red Sea.
US response to counter China’s naval might
It has shifted a more significant percentage of its fleet to the Pacific;
Assigned its most-capable new warships and aircraft to the Pacific;
Maintained or increased general presence operations, training, and developmental
exercises, and engagement and cooperation with allied and other navies in the
Indo-Pacific. Increased the planned future size of the navy;
exercises, and engagement and cooperation with allied and other navies in the
Indo-Pacific. Increased the planned future size of the navy;
Initiated, increased, or accelerated numerous programs for developing new military technologies and acquiring new ships, aircraft, unmanned vehicles, and weapons;
Developed new operational concepts (that is, new ways to employ Navy and Marine Corps forces) for countering Chinese maritime A2/AD forces; and
This signaled that the US Navy, in the coming years, will shift to a more distributed fleet architecture that will feature a far more significant use of unmanned vehicles.
The report also talked about how some members of the Congress and other US observers were concerned about the possibility that China might attack Taiwan in the years to come and about the readiness of the US defense forces, including the US Navy.
