Regarding “Trump Isn’t Rebuilding the U.S. Military” (Review & Outlook, July 12): The U.S. can still execute missions like the Iran strike successfully—for now—but deterrence of China is slipping. Our aging, shrinking force can’t confront the growing, modern Chinese military with assurance of victory. Unless Washington changes course, there will be dire consequences.
Taken together, the reconciliation bill and what has been made public about President Trump’s defense budget are heartening—especially after the Biden years, when identity mattered more than military professionalism. That said, refocusing the military on lethality requires more than a few ceremonial firings or a single year of increased resources.
Reversing the 30-year downward spiral of naval shipbuilding, critical to deterring China, won’t be cheap. But failure is worse. According to Bloomberg Economics, a war with China could cost more than $10 trillion. It would also drag on for years and exact death on a scale not seen since World War II.
Getting the Navy where it needs to be requires leadership, and too many key roles remain unfilled—notably the assistant Navy secretary charged with R&D and acquisition. While the Navy has yet to put forward its annual long-range shipbuilding plan to Congress, that’s no reason to wait. It’s evident America needs producers to build more than 19 new ships with stable designs annually to grow the Navy.
Sadly, America can’t catch up to Chinese warship numbers before Beijing’s self-imposed 2027 deadline to be ready to invade Taiwan. Adding U.S. shipyards, expanding the workforce and growing the supply chain, however, can ensure the Navy can rapidly meet the demands of modern war. Every American warship and unmanned vessel ordered is a down payment to grow the naval shipbuilding industrial capacity.
Years of misplaced priorities have so weakened U.S. deterrence that the decision to go to war or not rests more with Beijing than Washington. The U.S. can still take action to ensure that China loses that fight—by restoring deterrence on America’s terms.
This piece originally appeared in the Wall Street Journal
