Second District Congresswoman Elaine Luria pressed military and foreign policy experts Thursday on the Indo-Pacific region about the real and proximate threat posed by a rising Chinese navy, which is expected to exceed 400 ships in only a few years.
The questions came during a joint hearing between the HASC Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee (HFAC) Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, and Nonproliferation Subcommittee.
Luria, the House Committee on Armed Services vice chair, criticized calls for reducing the size of the fleet in the short term in order to fund future programs and technologies, many of which are unproven, by rapidly decommissioning current platforms, including multiple Cruisers and the first four Littoral Combat Ships, more quickly than they can be replaced.
She re-emphasized the need for increased naval presence in the Western Pacific and pressed witnesses on whether the Navy was doing enough to present a compelling plan for the fleet the nation needs in response to China.
Watch Luria’s full testimony here.
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