US Navy leaders say they want to go on the offensive against China with new weapons

Ryan Pickrell 1h

• To better confront near-peer threats, the US Navy needs to go on the offensive, service leaders have stressed, according to Breaking Defense.
• China is rapidly expanding its fleet and deploying standoff weapons to defend its interests and challenge US operations in the Pacific.
• US Navy leaders want to hit first and fast, adopting an aggressive offensive posture to put challengers on defense.

The US Navy wants to go on the offensive against near-peer threats, focusing on the ability to strike first and fast with new weapons.

Facing a rising China that is expanding what is already one of the largest naval fleets in the world and fielding powerful standoff weaponry, the US Navy must change its strategic thinking, service leaders said Wednesday, Breaking Defense reported.

The Navy has come face-to-face with some of these threats.

In September, a Chinese warship challenged the US destroyer USS Decatur in the South China Sea during a routine freedom-of-navigation operation.

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