What The Air Force And Marines Must Change To Compete With China

PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF (PDB) – War is coming. Air Force must buy at least 500 sixth-generation fighters and bombers — more than it already plans —to prevail in war against China, says airpower think tank.

This includes at least 300 next-generation F-47 fighters and at least 200 B-21 Raider stealth bombers. The Air Force now plans to buy at least 185 F-47s and at least 100 B-21s.

“China is deliberately building the capabilities… [to] make the entire western Pacific their sanctuary.” And recent wars have shown that militaries that can’t or won’t hit enemy bases and other sanctuaries from the air risk falling into grueling wars of attrition. Or even face defeat.

Meanwhile, a think tank calls for keeping Guam-bound Marines on Okinawa to counter China. It urges Team Trump to renegotiate the agreement with Japan to reduce the Marine Corps presence on Okinawa, arguing that the deal should be reversed.

It recommends keeping 5,000 Marines on Okinawa rather than relocating them to Guam and retaining the Corps’ airfield in densely populated central Okinawa, along with a replacement runway under construction farther north.

They also propose temporary Marine deployments to Yonaguni, Japan’s westernmost inhabited island, about 70 miles from Taiwan.

FOR YOUR EYES ONLY – Here’s a roundup of today’s other top defense news from conservative national security expert PAUL CRESPO.

THE PDB – Not the President’s Daily Briefing, but almost as good – PAUL’S DEFENSE BRIEF:    

NATIONAL SECURITY

Memory chip prices surge 600% in just six months. From game console makers like Nintendo to Apple suppliers, shares in consumer electronics companies are slumping amid a surge in memory chip prices driven by AI’s thirst for data center processing power.

U.S. and European navies are betting on Lego-like modularity to keep their fleets relevant in the face of fast-changing technology, with the ability to switch out equipment that the Dutch navy chief likened to clipping Lego bricks onto vessels.

DEFENSE POLITICS

Emboldened Democrats balk at White House offers as shutdown of Homeland Security looms. They are demanding new restrictions on Trump’s immigration crackdown just days before DHS funding is set to expire.

US POWER OVERSEAS

U.S. military forces boarded a sanctioned oil tanker in the Indian Ocean after tracking the ship from the Caribbean Sea.

US DEFENSE BUILDUP

Pentagon held off on naming and shaming “underperforming” defense contractors for now as it continues to review their performance to ensure the businesses are prioritizing the supply of weapons systems to U.S. warfighters.

NARCO THREAT

Two narcos killed in U.S. military strike on boat in Pacific.  Coast Guard searching for third lone survivor after latest attack on drug smugglers.

GREENLAND CRISIS

The Trump administration’s push to acquire Greenland has produced a carefully calibrated response from Moscow. An air of restraint in public comments masks more private concern over potential threats to Russian submarine operations, combined with satisfaction at widening cracks in the transatlantic alliance.

IRAN THREAT

Iran intensified its suppression of domestic dissent, arresting reformist figures and freedom activists weeks after huge massacres during a wave of nationwide protests. This, as Tehran left the door open to further nuclear negotiations with the U.S., highlights the dual approach of domestic repression and cautious diplomacy.

MIDDLE EAST THREATS

Indonesia’s army is preparing up to 8,000 troops for a possible peacekeeping mission in Gaza, underscoring President Subianto’s push for the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation to take on a bigger role in international security.

CHINA THREAT

Deterrence won’t fail in the Taiwan Strait — it will be bypassed. On Dec. 29, 2025, Taiwan reported one of the most intense single-day episodes of Chinese military activity in recent years.

Chinese military flights into a sensitive area near Taiwan in January fell to the lowest level of Lai Ching-te’s presidency; some say it is an indication that it is tweaking its training focus.

China and South Korea held rare defense talks and discussed resuming joint maritime search-and-rescue drills that have been suspended for about 15 years.

RUSSIA THREAT/UKRAINE WAR

War in Ukraine. Key events in the four years of the Ukraine conflict.

Russian offensive campaign assessment. As the fourth anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine approaches, the prospect of reaching a durable ceasefire still remains out of reach.

Conflict in Ukraine: A timeline.

“God mode” with a new control app for drone war. Ukraine has launched Mission Control, a first-of-its-kind digital command-and-control system to unify planning, execution, and reporting for all drone operations across the country, as Kyiv seeks more innovative ways to move the frozen front line on the battlefield after almost four years.

INTERNATIONAL SECURITY

Canada’s race to rebuild military triggers a defense-tech gold rush. PM Mark Carney has promised to spend big on defense. Canadian technology companies sense opportunity.

Ethiopia builds secret camp to train Sudan RSF fighters.

Foreign Influence is fueling the war in Sudan.

US MILITARY

Navy’s top uniformed officer wants to convince commanders to use newer, faster, leaner assets for missions instead of consistently turning to huge aircraft carriers — as seen now in military buildups off Venezuela and Iran.

Air Force leaders say they want more planes ready for war at any given moment and are ramping up methods to improve. Plus, lessons from U.S. strikes on Iran.

F-15E Strike Eagle multirole fighters armed with drone-killing Advanced Precision Kill Weapon System II laser-guided rockets that are deployed to the Middle East were shown in a video during singing of America the Beautiful and the National Anthem at the Super Bowl.

L3Harris has highlighted the potential standoff strike capability benefits of pairing its Red Wolf miniature cruise missile with the Air Force’s OA-1K Skyraider II.

Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Virginia, is looking for Marines with expertise in small unmanned aerial systems and AI to join the organization’s fiscal 2026 fellowship program.

Army troops execute high-intensity dismounted fire lane training, with rapid maneuver, live-fire engagements, steel target impacts, and nighttime tracer fires.

Pentagon will incorporate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into the military’s generative AI platform that’s already being used by more than a million personnel.

END of PDB

The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.

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