US to boost Pacific spending to counter China, but no ‘real number’ yet

[Camille Dawson, deputy assistant secretary at the State Department’s Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs]’s fellow panelist Elbridge Colby, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for strategy and force development, was less sanguine.

China, he said, has embarked on building a military designed for distant power projection, not territorial defense, as has been the traditional Chinese approach.

“I worry there’s an urgency that’s not being reflected in Washington, that there’s a sense that we can take our time in getting around to this problem, but I think that’s a mistake because I think a lot of China’s capabilities may be present in this decade,” he said. “But will we be ready?”

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