According to a former navy captain, China’s navy will defeat the US Navy because of its size. Photo by Trey Musk 

YEREVAN (CoinChapter.com) — As China expands its military might and ups its rhetoric, a possible war between Beijing and Washington becomes more likely. The Asian Communist giant keeps threatening Taiwan and Japan, both American allies. While most show confidence in the US Navy, some argue that China’s Navy will defeat the USA thanks to its size.  

China currently boasts of having the largest navy in the world. It overtook the United States of America a few years ago. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has around 340 warships, according to the Pentagon’s 2022 (November) China Military Power Report. 

The United States Department of Defense expects China’s fleet to grow to 400 ships by 2025. 

The United States Navy, on the other hand, comprises less than 300 ships but is technologically more advanced. However, if one were to rely solely on its technological superiority, there’s bad news. 

China will win because it has a bigger navy 

According to one naval expert, China is almost guaranteed to win the war against America thanks to the size of its navy. In an elaborate article titled “Bigger Fleets Win,” Sam Tangredi, Director of the Institute for Future Warfare Studies, argues for the superiority of the Chinese navy.

According to professor Tangredi, bigger naval fleets have almost always won, even when thrown against a technologically superior fleet. The naval expert is also a former United States Navy captain.

As per his studies, there have been only three instances when a smaller navy won because it was technologically advanced: The Byzantine Empire’s naval forces, the Portuguese in the Indian Ocean, and the British East India Company. 

“All other wars were won by superior numbers or, when between equal forces, superior strategy, or admiralship. ..Operating a large fleet generally facilitates more extensive training and is often an indicator that leaders are concerned with strategic requirements,” 

professor Tangredi argues. 

To make his point, professor Tangredi also refers to the Napoleonic wars of the early 1800s. Although French warships were superior in the technology of ship design and construction, he argues that the sheer size of the British Royal Navy ships prevented Napoleon from crossing the English channel. 

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US Navy cannot catch up with the Chinese navy 

According to the US naval expert, having reserve naval forces is a huge advantage in determining the war’s outcome. Even if the US tries to catch up, it is unlikely that it can keep pace with the speed of China’s naval growth.

In that case, professor Tangredi wonders how smart it would be to rely on technology while allowing China to have a bigger naval fleet.

“US leaders must ask themselves to what extent they are willing to bet on technological — without numerical — superiority in that fight…I do not say that a smaller, technologically superior fleet could never defeat a much larger fleet, I only say that — with the possible the exception of three cases in the past 1,200 years — none has,” 

he writes.

A naval war against China would throw a smaller US naval force against a larger People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) in the next ten years. Moreover, this war will take place on China’s home turf in the western Pacific Ocean.  

Not only will the US naval force face tough competition from their Chinese counterparts, but it will also put them within range of the PLA’s air and rocket forces. 

His concerns are only partly in line with the recent predictions made by the Washington, DC-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). As CoinChapter earlier reported, the American tink tan conducted war game simulations on a possible Chinese invasion of Taiwan. 

According to its expert analysts, while the United States will eventually defeat China, it will come at a huge cost. Not only will 3,200 American soldiers die, but many arsenals will end up on the bottom of the ocean. 

The post China’s Navy Will Defeat US If a War Breaks Out — Former Navy Captain appeared first on CoinChapter.

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Filed under: Bitcoin - @ January 18, 2023 2:11 pm