As an argument, I am not impressed, although thank you for your service.
Consider THIS Irrefutable Retort: You don't what you don't know.
And the USN doesn't know a LOT in that neck of the woods as demonstrably proved by one of our attack submarines...the USS San Fransisco in January of this year...and the object it hit obviously wasn't moving...whereas a Chinese Air-Independent would be able to....
One sailor was killed when the nuclear submarine San Francisco hit an underwater mountain that was not shown on its charts. The crash 500 feet below the surface destroyed a sonar dome that formed the sub's nose and peeled part of the outer hull. The stronger inner hull held firm. Thank God.
The Chinese are watching all of this, the ramming of the Japanese training ship, the collission with the mountain that was clearly on the Russian's charts, but surprisingly, not ours, plus the GWB Administration's clear intentions to cut down to 28 Los Angeles class boats, and 9 carriers, and NO DDX, NO F-22's, and NO F-35s No S-3's, a Seriously and egregiously eroded ASW asset base... ....and these are the guys who have to be deterred. So please stop preening excessively about our naval omnipotence. I know it is important for esprit de Corps to feel the way you do, but frankly, for policy purposes, it is counterproductive. So stand down. It is necessary to maintain public support for the infrastructure and the forces to deter. We need to send a message that cannot be misunderstood...production. That was key among Reagans' moves in Defense in the '80's. Richard Fischer helped guide us then. And he will now, if people only listen.
It is "test of wills" stuff at the highest political echelons...which sometimes is far more critical than even the technology or bravery and courage of our men at the pointy end of the spear.