Excellent analysis, and yet another nail in the coffin of American Exceptionalism.
Perhaps it was because successive American governments decided to run their country on the basis of short term profits, both corporate and personal, rather than strategic long term interests, that this situation has developed. One thing for sure, there is no indication that any meaningful change will occur, or that the US will ever catch up in the future. This is a battle for supremacy that China will win. If it hasn't already.
I do wonder though if due consideration has been given to the recent examples from the Ukraine - Russian War, where the Russian fleet has been comprehensively cowed and expelled by Ukrainian drones, both aerial and marine, destroying ships and even submarines, often for less than the price of secondhand car! The idea that now a swarm of cheap kamikaze drones may fly 500 miles to mount a coordinated mass attack on a warship or aircraft carrier, in port or at sea, even at night, must make every naval commander and ship's captain have nightmares.
At the moment there is every possibility that the American economy will collapse, the US Dollar come under severe inflationary pressure, and the US Bond market fail to find enough buyers to keep financing the US eye-watering debts. I wonder what China's response will be if its major competitor folds? Will it scale down its militarisation and focus more on trade domination? Or continue to total marine domination, so that no future opposition will be allowed to develop?
Excellent analysis, and yet another nail in the coffin of American Exceptionalism.
Perhaps it was because successive American governments decided to run their country on the basis of short term profits, both corporate and personal, rather than strategic long term interests, that this situation has developed. One thing for sure, there is no indication that any meaningful change will occur, or that the US will ever catch up in the future. This is a battle for supremacy that China will win. If it hasn't already.
I do wonder though if due consideration has been given to the recent examples from the Ukraine - Russian War, where the Russian fleet has been comprehensively cowed and expelled by Ukrainian drones, both aerial and marine, destroying ships and even submarines, often for less than the price of secondhand car! The idea that now a swarm of cheap kamikaze drones may fly 500 miles to mount a coordinated mass attack on a warship or aircraft carrier, in port or at sea, even at night, must make every naval commander and ship's captain have nightmares.
At the moment there is every possibility that the American economy will collapse, the US Dollar come under severe inflationary pressure, and the US Bond market fail to find enough buyers to keep financing the US eye-watering debts. I wonder what China's response will be if its major competitor folds? Will it scale down its militarisation and focus more on trade domination? Or continue to total marine domination, so that no future opposition will be allowed to develop?
Interesting times.....
Wonderful work Tom