US Navy Has Better Ships Than China but Falls Behind in Numbers: Navy Secretary

China is no longer just a pacing threat but has become a ‘primary competitor’ to U.S. naval superiority, Navy Secretary John Phelan said.

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Stockdale returns to its home port of Naval Base San Diego in San Diego on Feb. 21, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Jordan Steis/U.S. Navy

The U.S. Navy continues to operate technologically superior warships, but its overall fleet size is putting U.S. maritime dominance at risk in the face of China’s rapid naval expansion, Navy Secretary John Phelan said.

Testifying on June 11 before the House Armed Services Committee, Phelan said China is no longer just a “pacing threat” and has become the “primary competitor” to the United States in what he called an increasingly “hostile and unpredictable” world.