Calvert, Cole: We Can’t Let China Outpace American Military Strength
Washington, D.C. – Continuing their work to ensure peace through strength, Defense Subcommittee Chairman Ken Calvert (R-CA) and Appropriations Committee Chairman Tom Cole (R-OK) reiterated the growing dangers posed by Communist China’s rapid military expansion and stressed the urgent need to strengthen the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. As Beijing builds the world’s largest navy, seeking to outpace the United States in ships, submarines, and advanced fighter aircraft, American force dominance is under threat. The lawmakers warned that delays in shipbuilding, gaps in weapons procurement, and operational readiness challenges are undermining deterrence and called for decisive investments to strengthen our defenses and safeguard America’s security.
Subcommittee Chairman Calvert recognized that the “Navy and Marine Corps are under extraordinary operational demand, responding to threats across every domain” at a time of increasing global instability. He spoke to recent combat operations and underscored “the critical role our fleet plays in maintaining freedom of navigation and the security of global commerce.”
Calvert didn’t parse words regarding the serious threat of China and was clear on the near-peer challenge we face – “China is on pace to surpass the U.S. Navy in firepower in the coming years. Already today, the Chinese far outnumber us in hypersonic weapons” and are “out-producing the U.S. in advanced fighters,” positioning themselves to surpass American air superiority in the Pacific for the first time.
In looking to the future, he noted the significant transformation of the Marine Corps, which has shifted to “a lighter, more agile, and distributed force capable of operating inside contested maritime space,” a bold and critical shift to enhance tactical posture.
Chairman Cole echoed these points. In discussions on the spectrum of conflicts being faced around the globe, he commended the “bravery and professionalism shown by our Sailors and Marines” and made clear that their mission “has never been more consequential or expansive.” From the contested waters in the Indo-Pacific to the turbulent Red Sea, our “Navy and Marine Corps are on the front lines of deterring aggression, projecting power, and upholding the rules-based international order.”
Cole doubled down on shipbuilding challenges and stated that “delays not only impact operational readiness, but they also create a growing strategic risk at a time when China is expanding its fleet at an unprecedented pace.” He reaffirmed the importance of efforts to “strengthen industrial base capacity, streamline procurement timelines, and demand greater accountability in program execution.”
He also directed attention to the most fundamental part of our defense: our troops. Cole detailed that “none of the platforms, strategies, or technologies matter without the people who bring them to life.” Recruitment and retention remain pressing challenges across the force, which reinforce the House Appropriations Committee’s focus on efforts to “improve housing, family support programs, and health care for our service members.”
Read Subcommittee Chairman Calvert’s full statement here, and Chairman Cole's full statement here.
The FY26 oversight hearing featured testimony from Secretary of the Navy John Phelan, Acting Chief of Naval Operations Admiral James Kilby, and Commandant of the Marine Corps General Eric Smith. Military witnesses and lawmakers discussed the urgent need to revitalize the defense industrial base, enhance maritime deterrence, modernize force structure, and sustain America’s strategic edge amid growing global threats.
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