China overtakes the U.S. in the number of warships, a British weekly said, quoting a report by the International Institute for Strategic Studies. The Economist on Tuesday said the IISS "reckons China now has more warships than America, which long possessed the biggest fleet. As it can be hard to distinguish a warship from other boats, the IISS uses its own definition of what counts and what does not."
According to the IISS, Russia had the largest fleet from 1971 to 1996, the U.S. from 1997 to 2006, and now China since 2008.
"This striking trend is yet another manifestation of the rise of China," the weekly added.
The Economist predicted the gap will widen further and added that there is a limit to the U.S. ability to increase the number of its warships, considering that production cost has soared due to the state-of-the-art technology needed.
| There are legitimate concerns about US Navy procurement policies for sure. But the real issue is and always has been, what do we need to be safe? More, more, more isn't always the answer. |
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