Keeping an Eye on the Long Game: Part LXVIII

We need to get moving towards the 350+ Navy sooner more than later - and we need new designs for the new reality of war at sea.

1. Range.
2. ASUW.
3. Number and diversity of ASW tools and weapons from search, location, tracking, and especially attack. Without going in to too many details on this net, the last part especially. The professional malpractice, blindness and complacent arrogance there is gobsmacking.

Right now we have decks full of light strike-fighters (F-18 E/F are better than A-D but still), DDG designed in the Cold War (though greatly modified and as history has looped back to blue water, still very useful even if most don't have ASUW capabilities beyond their 5" gun), and the smaller part of our fleet consists of two Tiffany price, China-doll robust, "exquisitely designed" LCS that still can't address the threats from the Clinton Administration that helped spawn it.

The only thing that seems to be going well is our submarine force.

The CO of the Chinese aircraft carrier Captain Liu Zhe, PLAN had an interesting article out that in a very Chinese way, points where they are going;

Throughout history, the development of great power is closely related to the ocean. Some people say, "stronger than the world who will be better than the sea, the decline in the world who will be weaker than the sea."

Today, in the process of realizing the dream of China, in the process of building a strong ocean, the development of "all the way along the way", not only the wealth of the sea, friends from all corners of the globe, and security threats are mainly from the sea. The more turbulent changes in the undercurrent, the more the need for military Yong Li tide wave. As the President suggested, as a soldier, must be brave to assume the historical responsibility of our generation of soldiers.

Although the Chinese soldiers do not produce grain, but the production of security; not create wealth, but to defend the peaceful environment of peace and comfort. The party and the people to us this aircraft carrier, is the national strength of the cohesion, is a symbol of national will, is the national security barrier, it is a strong backing of world peace. The Liaoning ship forged into a war can win the battle of the aircraft carrier, we are duty-bound
...
Not far from the future, our pace will be bigger, go farther, Liaoning ship will ride in the broader ocean, J-15 fighters will fly in the more distant blue sky. We will continue to forge ahead in the forefront of the construction of the Navy transformation, fighting in the national interests of the new frontier, adhere to the first line in the maintenance of world peace. We firmly believe that the farther away from the territorial sea, the more secure the motherland will be behind, the world peace will be more of a guarantee.

You can't say we weren't warned. Remember this as well - China increased their military budget 7% last year.

H/t SJS