Are big, expensive vessels like amphibious ships and carriers too vulnerable in a long-range missile war with Russia or China?

Given the two-year break from sequestration, the Pentagon is hurrying up to hire civilians to push the modernization of the force to head off advances by China and Russia, a new DoD strategy document says.

The Pentagon is moving out quickly amid worries that China has outpaced U.S. capabilities in hypersonic weapons development.

WASHINGTON: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has laid out a measured and cautious spending plan that puts near-term readiness needs first in his first budget guidance memo. The memo, out this morning, largely defers major equipment modernization until 2019 and limits increases in the size of the force to “the maximum responsible rate” (emphasis ours). So,… Keep reading →