The expansion of China’s amphibious force is nothing short of historic. A decade ago, China had no large amphibious platforms. Now it has four big flat-decked amphibs alongside a force of nine landing platform docks (LPDs), and will soon welcome the biggest amphibious assault ships in the world. This is a rate of increase reminiscent of the great dreadnought races of the early 20th century, when Britain, Japan, Germany, and the United States built up spectacular fleets of large battleships in not much more than a decade. However, it is also one-sided; American shipbuilding has shown no inclination to try...