Not only are the Chinese competing and winning on the economic front, they are producing the engineers and scientists as well as the industrial capacity on a high technological level to craft weapons for wars in the future. Given the nature of the American democracy, it may well prove unnecessary to fire a single shot to defeat us, it may be entirely sufficient to raise the level of intimidation to the point where our morale and our culture collapses. This is not a question of defending Guam or the sea lanes of Admiral Mahon, this is a function of intimidation brought about by satellites and computer technology.
I have no idea how the next war will be fought war against whom but I am convinced that the best way to lose it is to prepare for the last war. Increasingly, as carriers become more vulnerable and more expensive they will become liabilities rather than strategic power players. I do not claim to know the timetable or the direction other than by these generalities.
We are at a stage of paralyzed will, corrupt politics, and a frighteningly hapless strategic vision. If we had 26 instead of 13 aircraft carriers today would we have the will to use any of them? If we had the will, would we have the strategic vision?
