China wants to dominate the world.
Not just economically, but militarily.
Through better technology, naval, and nuclear capabilities.[1]
They have been engaging in the most dramatic military buildup since World War II.[2]
Last October, the Chinese military conducted exercises involving the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) ground, naval, air, coast guard and rocket forces.
Soon after, President Xi Jinping urged the country’s military to prepare for war.[3]
What threats do these actions by China pose for the U.S. and for the rest of the world? And how is the Trump administration – and the DoD under Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth – planning to counter the threats?
Here are 5 things you need to know:
- China wants to take over Taiwan.
According to General Charles A. Flynn, head of the United States Army in the Pacific, this is the probable reason for China’s military exercise last fall, and the impetus behind Chairman Xi’s call for his military to prepare for war.[4]
China isn’t likely to risk a massive D-Day-type ground assault on Taiwan.
More plausible is a gradual cutoff of Taiwan’s access to the outside world – perhaps including a naval blockade – to strangle the people into submission.
Deterring this scenario would require the U.S. to deploy ships in the region, and also protection for those ships.
Should a blockade occur, a mix of different forces would be required to break it.
- China has the largest Navy in the world, and it has the fastest growing nuclear stockpile.
China is now the world’s largest shipbuilder. Its shipbuilding capacity is230 times greater than the U.S.[5]
As of last August, China reported 370 battle-ready ships, with 25 more expected to be added this year.
The U.S. has 296 battle force ships, with that number expected to decrease to 294 by 2030.[6]
While China’s nuclear arsenal of approximately 600 warheads is significantly less than the 3,700 of the U.S., all of China’s 400 intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) can reach the continental U.S.[7]
Also, they have submarine-launched ballistic missiles that can reach the U.S. from the South China Sea or from the Bohai Gulf on the east coast of Mainland China.[8]
China is rapidly expanding its nuclear stockpile, expecting to have more than 1,000 warheads by 2030.
In addition, China is developing hypersonic glide missiles and fractional orbital bombardment systems designed to penetrate a missile defense system.[9]
- China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is larger than the U.S. Army.
Communist China boasts ground forces of more than 3 million soldiers, plus 625,000 paramilitary personnel.[10]
The U.S. has zero paramilitary forces and an active duty plus active reserve Army of just over 2 million soldiers.[11]
The Army has downsized by nearly 10% over the past three years because recruitment fell short of the number of soldiers not reenlisting under the Biden administration.[12] But that has changed since the November 2024 election of Donald Trump.
As of April, the Army had already reached 85% of its FY2025 recruitment goal. And the Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Space Force are all reported to be meeting or exceeding their monthly targets for this year.[13]
- China is more prepared for drone warfare than the U.S.
While the U.S. has more sophisticated drone software, and superior sensors, stealth, and precision strike capabilities, China dominates the world in drone manufacturing.
Chinese companies own 90% of the commercial drone market, and the country is the leading exporter of combat drones.[14]
China also leads the U.S. in swarming technologies for air-to-air and air-to-ground combat and in AI-powered micro drones which are capable of both reconnaissance and attack missions.[15]
The reconnaissance threat is real. “Mystery” drones were observed:
- over Langley Air Force Base in Virginia last October
- above military bases housing American forces in the UK
- above Donald Trump’s properties and a U.S. military research and manufacturing facility in New Jersey[16]
- Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has outlined 4 priorities for the U.S. military.
In March, Hegseth signed a document called “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance” and distributed it throughout the Defense Department.
The document establishes the following military priorities for the Trump administration:
- Deter China from seizing Taiwan
- Defend the U.S. homeland
- Counter illegal immigration and drug trafficking
- “Assume risks in other theaters”
These four priorities will be discussed in broad brush details below.
Priority #1: Deter China from seizing Taiwan.
This may prove to be a very difficult goal to achieve given that China has several different options for seizing control of the island.
Secretary Hegseth recently visited Guam and told the U.S. service members there that they are “tip of the spear” for U.S. military operations in the Pacific region.
Some of the ways the Pentagon plans to defend Taiwan are:
- Increase troop presence via submarines, bombers and unmanned ships
- Assign specialty units to the area from the Army and Marine Corps
- Employ bombs that can destroy reinforced and subterranean targets
- Improve the defense of troop locations in the Indo-Pacific
- Improve logistics[17]
Priority #2: Defend the U.S. Homeland.
The current U.S. missile defense system of ground-based interceptors in Alaska and California, designed to defend against intercontinental ballistic missile attacks from North Korea and Iran, will not be sufficient to counter attacks from China or Russia.
The centerpiece of a next-generation homeland missile defense system in President Trump’s vision is “The Iron Dome for America” – the title given to an executive order issued on January 27th.
Air Force Lt. Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of the joint U.S.-Canadian North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), testified recently to the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.
He said “immediate actions” are already underway to implement Trump’s executive order.[18]
He envisions the “Golden Dome” as multiple overlapping defense shields capable of destroying everything from high-altitude ballistic missiles to low-altitude cruise missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).[19]
In addition to the Golden Dome – or as a component of it – a space-based defense system will be needed.
Last November, the head of the U.S. Space Force warned that China was deploying military capabilities into space at a “mind-boggling” rate, increasing the risk of warfare in orbit.[20]
And in December, China launched a remote-sensing satellite capable of identifying and tracking car-sized objects in the Indo-Pacific – threatening U.S. and allied assets in the region.[21]
In both 2022 and 2023, China led in defense-related satellite launches.
One additional aspect of homeland defense and security that must be a high priority is preventing cyber attacks by Communist China. This topic is complex, and will be covered in a separate article in the near future.
Priority #3: Counter illegal immigration and drug trafficking.
The Army is being asked to assist and augment border patrol agents by assigning reserve troops to the southern border to help stop illegal immigration.
Further, military leaders are being tasked with devising strategies to address the problem of drug trafficking into the country, both by land and by air – especially fentanyl, which is now killing 100,000 per year in the U.S.
A key to accomplishing this goal according to Vanda Felbab-Brown, an expert on fentanyl, will be creating cooperative alliances with the Mexican government, which can provide necessary intelligence regarding the locations of fentanyl labs and distribution lines.[22]
Defense Secretary Hegseth has already visited Panama and has secured two agreements to ensure access to the Panama Canal: one with the Panama Canal Authority, and one with the Panamanian Secretary of Defense and President Mulino of Panama.[23]
Priority #4: Assume risks in other theaters.
With the other three priorities gobbling up precious personnel and resources, the Trump administration will pressure allies in Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia to spend more on defense and assume a greater role in deterring threats from Russia, North Korea and Iran.
While President Trump will continue working to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine, the Hegseth guidance document says that NATO must assume a “far greater” burden in countering Russia’s aggression.
And while the president will continue to apply diplomatic and economic pressure on Iran to prevent that country from developing a nuclear weapon, his administration will rely on Israel and other allies to take whatever military action may be necessary in the Middle East.
In a recent message of reassurance to the Trump administration, President Lai Ching-te of Taiwan said that his country will increase its defense spending from about 2.5% to over 3% of GDP.[24]
Conclusion:
The goals required to accomplish these national defense priorities are formidable and expensive.
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth is counting on three things to accomplish the goals and fulfill the priorities of his Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance document:
- A 13% increase in defense spending from $893 billion in FY 2025 – ending September 30th – to just over $1 trillion in FY2026.
- Replacing and upgrading outdated military equipment
- Streamlining procurement and acquisition processes which have been far too cumbersome and time-consuming – and expensive – in the past.
Shoring up the nation’s defense will be a team effort. President Trump, Secretary Hegseth, other cabinet members and the entire administration remain hopeful.
And based on the accomplishments of the first100 days of the Trump administration, nothing appears out of reach.
What do you think? Email me at [email protected].
[1] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, https://www.gisreportsonline.com/r/china-military-expansion/
[2] Andrew Erickson, https://warontherocks.com/2024/12/what-the-pentagons-new-report-on-chinese-military-power-reveals-about-capabilities-context-and-consequences/
[3] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[4] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[5] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[6] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[7] Andrew Erickson, op. cit.
[8] Andrew Erickson, op. cit.
[9 Andrew Erickson, op. cit.
[10] Chris Lange, https://wallst.com/military/2025/04/05/america-vs-china-is-the-us-really-more-powerful/
[11] Ibid.
[12] Michael O’Hanlon, https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/5226268-assessing-hegseths-interim-defense-strategic-guidance/
[13] Ivan Golden, https://thxnews.com/2025/04/10/u-s-military-recruitment-success/
[14] Zaheena Rasheed, https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/1/24/how-china-became-the-worlds-leading-exporter-of-combat-drones
[15] Miriam McNabb, https://dronelife.com/2025/04/30/chinas-shift-to-small-drones-reshapes-modern-warfare/
[16] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[17] Alex Horton and Hannah Natanson, https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2025/03/29/secret-pentagon-memo-hegseth-heritage-foundation-china/
[18] https://armedservices.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=5064
[19] Ibid.
[20] https://www.ft.com/content/509b39e0-b40c-41b3-9c6a-9005859c6fea
[21] Aleksandra Gadzala Tirziu, op. cit.
[22] Michael O’Hanlon, op. cit.
[23] https://www.foxnews.com/media/pete-hegseth-hakeem-jeffries-dumb-effing-individuals-jab-evidence-far-dems-fallen
[24] Alex Horton and Hannah Natanson, op. cit.