The U.S. military must refocus priorities to counter China's higher production in air, maritime and missile capability, according to a senior Navy admiral.
While testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, the commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) offered ominous news on China's military.
"As the most consequential opponent, China poses real and serious challenges to our military superiority," Adm. Samuel Paparo said in his statement to the committee on April 10. "However, these challenges also present opportunities for reform and establishing enduring advantage.
"While USINDOPACOM faces significant challenges, I remain confident in our deterrence posture and ability to defend U.S. interests and maintain regional stability — but the trajectory must change. China is outproducing the United States in air, maritime, and missile capability."
Paparo told the committee that China, after building the world's largest naval force, is rapidly developing its air combat capabilities.
He said Beijing is investing heavily in modern combat aircraft and currently has 2,100 fighters and 200 H-6 bombers. The admiral warned that China is "producing fighters at a rate of 1.2 to 1 over the United States."
Paparo added that China "has an air force that is capable of denying the U.S. air superiority in the First Island Chain," the strategic archipelagos in East Asia comprising Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines.
He warned that China's "advanced long-range air-to-air missiles also present a tremendous threat."
"If you do not hold the high ground along the first island chain, you are vastly limited in your ability to operate," Paparo said. "I think everybody knows the importance of the high ground. So ceding air superiority is not an option if we intend to maintain capability against our adversaries and the ability to support our allies."
Paparo added that neither side would earn complete "air supremacy" in a U.S.-China conflict.
"Air supremacy is the complete mastery of the air. Neither side will enjoy that," he said. "But it will be my job to contest air superiority, to protect those forces that are on the first island chain, such as the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Force, and also to provide windows of air superiority in order to achieve our effects."
Republican and Democrat lawmakers made their first trip to Taiwan under the new Trump administration last week. The bipartisan effort aimed to show Taiwan and China that U.S. support for Taiwan's defense remains broad, despite recent tensions in trade relations.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
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Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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