* China remains determined to claim sovereignty over international waters in the western Pacific
* Strategic importance of the U.S. alliance with Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines
* Large-deck aircraft carrier an important interment in projecting American seapower
* U.S. Navy not prepared to counter Russian maritime buildup in the eastern Mediterranean
![Border patrol officers pull barbed wires as irregular immigrants coming from Central and South America who have gathered in the town of Ciudad Juarez on the Mexican border continue to wait at the US border on March 20, 2024, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Photo by Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)](/sites/default/files/styles/16_9_sm/public/2025-01/GettyImages-2092456479.jpg?h=b0d169d7&itok=24WdaEF5)
Caption
Border patrol officers pull barbed wires as immigrants wait at the United States border on March 20, 2024, in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. (Christian Torres/Anadolu via Getty Images)