China is not a nation that's incapable of major ship building by any means. Actually the situations in Russia and China could change drastically in months. Both Russia and China have the facilities to build ships and subs in mass quantities or the ability to quickly build such.. The main missing element isn't technology but rather money. Where would money come from? Look to the Middle East. Who would be willing to fund Russia and China's military build up for self protection and their end goal of the elimination of Israel? Look to the Middle East.
The United States of America has gone from four to one shipbuilders that are capable of turning out even a conventional aircraft carrier.
Now everyone remembers Pearl Harbor but no one considers this fact. The entire east coast carrier fleet minus one carrier is home-ported all out of the same home port. In that port can be up to possibly eight carriers in a 10 mile or less radius. I have a picture of FIVE at the same base at the same time in a half mile roll. Up the river from there just a very few short miles is the carrier repair shipyard for the east coast fleet. Only that shipyard and the one a few miles downstream can repair carriers. Of those two yards one is also the only builder left.
Oh but I'm not through yet. A few miles from there is the Naval Amphib Base for most amphibious assault and carriers at one base. Also in the area is two Naval Air Stations. In other words a potentially worse than Pearl Harbor because if those facilities were destroyed in a single attack we would not be able to recover in time.
The defense of the United States Of America is the primary function of our federal government. There can be no higher priority than this. Anyone with any basic knowledge of how ships must operate knows that in all reality you at no given time will have more than two thirds available for deployment due to necessary maintenance which is mission critical. That would be under the best of circumstances. Ships can not miss this downtime more than once without serious issues developing. Anyone thinking otherwise needs to study the time frame between 1990-1996. The Kitty Hawk and JFK fiasco's weren't the first ones to happen. We lost a carrier in that time frame. Three six month deployments in three years. Then BOOM! The Navy was already in a deep readiness spiral by 1993 thanks to the policies that began under Poppy Bush/Sec of Def Cheney and it has only continued to get worse ever sense that time.
One lucky air strike at the right time in the right place would make Pearl Harbor look mild in comparison to the damage we now are open too. Downsizing more is not the answer. Aircraft carrier whether Gates likes them are not is still the fastest way to get 70 plus aircraft on that carrier and their support moved almost anywhere in the world and operational in less than a week.
As for pirates? Like one Freeper said. The U.S. Government lacks the will to authorize our Navy to act. The sooner our elected stop trying to make diplomats out of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, and Airmen, the sooner things will change. Diplomatic stupidity put the COLE in the wrong port and the wrong time two days out from fleet and alone in a known terrorist nation. The Navy I served under The COLE could have been fuel at sea even by a carrier if necessary.
“The Navy I served under The COLE could have been fuel at sea even by a carrier if necessary.”
Eh? They can’t do that any more?
Russia doesn’t have now enough tradesmen, skilled technicians, engineers, nor the hundreds if not thousands of small, high quality contractors. It’s taking them a decade from laying the keel to launching a hull. Even longer.