Biden is Methodically Destroying the U.S. Navy

President Biden is making bold declarations, but his actions show a different story.

China’s President Xi has been increasing the pressure on Taiwan, and Biden has responded by committing the U.S. to defend Taiwan’s independence from China. Taiwan plays a crucial role in the global economy and is a significant strategic interest for the U.S.

However, while Biden talks about defending Taiwan, he is simultaneously cutting the naval budget and shrinking the U.S. Navy. It’s difficult to see how we can defend Taiwan with a weakened Navy and a dwindling stockpile of ammunition. Every shipment sent to Ukraine that is not replenished quickly weakens our ability to protect Taiwan.

Xi is well aware of this. While Biden claims that our support for Ukraine proves our commitment to our allies and will bolster deterrence, in reality, our military capabilities are shrinking rapidly, and Biden is accelerating this decline.

The Washington Examiner reports on how the U.S. naval power is decreasing, while China’s naval power is rapidly growing. In just five years, China will have about 150 more ships in its navy than the U.S. It’s not just the quantity of the ships that matter; modern naval warships are primarily built for offensive capabilities and may not survive well in a missile exchange.

Furthermore, Biden’s 2024 budget proposal includes the premature retirement of several ships and combat vessels and decreases the number of active Navy ships. The decrease in the naval budget would significantly weaken the Navy’s capabilities against China.

If we intend to defend Taiwan, the only strategy that makes sense is to stop China before they reach Taiwan’s shores. A war over Taiwan is a naval war, and China is building the weapons platforms it needs to win that war.

Biden, who demonstrated throughout his career that he doesn’t understand military affairs, is bleeding dry our weapons caches to pour into the Ukraine conflict. If we go to war with China, we will need those weapons to defend ourselves properly. Taiwan is a critical strategic interest for the U.S. and should be prioritized accordingly.

The Congress must reject Biden’s naval budget, or we risk sleepwalking into a war we have little chance of winning.