The landmark meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping in October brought a respite to the trade war and led to some reciprocal deals. But it did not suggest any breakthrough in addressing the problems that have fueled tensions between the two countries in recent years. Instead, the meeting confirmed the curious direction of U.S. China policy in Trump’s second term. The president has not only broken with the policy of the Biden administration but also seems to have forsaken the strategic direction of his own first term.
Continue reading “America’s Self-Defeating China Strategy – A Policy That Confuses Strength and Weakness”
The Fujian and its strike group represent a strategic game changer that will bring Beijing closer to its goal of eroding U.S. maritime primacy in its backyard.
China’s efforts to blunt American maritime power in the Pacific, a region the United States has long considered its domain, received a major boost this month with the official launch of its third — and most advanced by far — aircraft carrier, the Fujian.
Continue reading “China’s new aircraft supercarrier challenges U.S. dominance in Pacific”
This post has been updated with a statement from U.S. Pacific Fleet.
American and Philippine defense secretaries unveiled a task force designed to deter Chinese coercion in the South China Sea and enhance alliance defense cooperation.
Continue reading “U.S. Unveils Philippine Task Force to Deter Chinese Coercion”
Key Points and Summary – The U.S. Navy’s ambitious Cruiser Modernization Program for its aging Ticonderoga-class ships was a high-profile failure.
-A damning GAO report revealed the Navy wasted $1.84 billion modernizing four cruisers that were ultimately divested before ever deploying.
-The program was plagued by soaring costs (over $500 million per ship), poor contractor performance, and the extreme technical difficulty of integrating modern systems onto 1980s-era hulls.
-The Navy ultimately concluded it was no longer cost-effective, canceling the program in favor of the new DDG(X) destroyer.
Continue reading “The U.S. Navy’s Big Ticonderoga-Class Mistake Still Stings”
By Andrew Latham
Key Points and Summary – A stark warning argues the U.S. Navy’s bedrock is “cracking” due to an industrial crisis.
Continue reading “The U.S. Navy Is In Crisis”
Philippine fishermen have pulled up another unauthorized research or espionage drone within the country’s waters, the latest in a series of catches that have raised concerns about Chinese spying as tensions rise in the South China Sea.
Continue reading “Philippine Fishermen Catch Another Underwater Spy Drone”
Station HYPO 