As the U.S. turns its attention westward with the pivot to Asia, there is growing concern about whether the U.S. Navy’s surface fleet possesses sufficient lethality to meet the range of threats posed by a rising China. Representative Randy Forbes (R-VA), chairman of the House Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, has openly questioned whether the U.S. Navy is “out-sticked” by Chinese counterparts who field anti-ship missiles with ranges far in excess of those on U.S. ships. The purchase of littoral combat ships, truncated at 32 ships due in part to the Secretary of Defense’s concern about sufficient lethality, demonstrates the increasing attention to surface warfare capacity.
On Friday, July 25th, the Hudson Center for American Seapower hosted a panel on the state of U.S. Surface Force lethality across several warfighting domains and panelists reflected on the direction of Surface Force lethality as demonstrated in the Navy’s FY15 budget submission.
Seth Cropsey, former Deputy Undersecretary of the Navy, discussed land attack. Bryan Clark, former Special Assistant to the Chief of Naval Operations, spoke on anti-submarine warfare and anti-surface warfare. Bryan McGrath, a national security consultant and retired Naval Officer, commented on integrated air and missile defense.
Join Hudson for a discussion with Sir Iain on the economic, political, and security measures the US and its allies need to take to defeat the rising authoritarian axis.
Join Keystone Defense Initiative Director Rebeccah Heinrichs for a conversation with Hammer about the book and the future of US-Israel relations.
Former policymakers and leading national security experts will join Hudson to assess how China’s growing influence is reshaping the regional order—and how the US should respond.
Join Hudson for a panel that will examine some of the tools that could help revitalize US investment in the region, including development finance, political risk insurance, and economic innovation zones.
