Former Vice President Dan Quayle says the US is trailing China in the battle for military supremacy, and warns the two presidential candidates must wake up to the many threats the US faces from abroad did.
Over the past decade, China has made advances in autonomous weapons, futuristic military technology, and modernized its air force in preparation for potential conflicts in the 21st century. Quayle’s warning comes amid a wave of new threats from Beijing to Taiwan’s de facto independence and growing concerns about the U.S.’s vulnerability to other global adversaries.
“Our military uses ships and jets built decades ago,” Quayle wrote in a Monday column in the Wall Street Journal. “Meanwhile, China is outpacing our investments in autonomous, hypersonic, cyber and space weapons.”
According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the United States still boasts the world’s largest air force, but China has the largest naval combat power and is developing new weapons to meet the challenges of armed conflict this century. The focus is on development.
Dan Quayle speaks to reporters in New York City on November 29, 2016. The former vice president warned that threats posed by China, Iran and Russia could undermine America’s standing as the world’s preeminent nation… speaking to reporters in New York City, November 29, 2016. Dan Quayle. The former vice president warned that threats from China, Iran and Russia could undermine the United States’ status as the world’s leading superpower. Other Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Quayle, who served as vice president in the George H.W. He said that it is possible to achieve the goal of “replacing the ) America as the world’s leading superpower. ”
Quayle cited China’s recent military exercises in the Taiwan Strait that surrounded Taiwan as evidence of China’s expansionist goals.
But China is not alone in this ambition: Russia, Iran and North Korea all share the same overarching goal of “defeating the United States,” he said.
“The specter of World War III has been carelessly thrown around, but a serious strategy is needed to prevent it,” Quayle wrote.
His warning was aimed specifically at the two White House candidates, who he said had previously treated foreign policy as a “side issue.”
Despite the obvious geopolitical issues facing the United States, foreign policy has taken a backseat to domestic issues such as inflation, abortion, and immigration during the 2024 presidential campaign.
“With wars escalating in Europe and the Middle East, and instability continuing in the Pacific, the next president will be working overtime on foreign policy,” Quayle said.
He said the threat posed by a “revivalist Russia” could grow throughout the decade, as well as the damage posed by China to U.S. hegemony.
“The Ukraine war is tragic, but it may one day be remembered as the opening salvo of a much deadlier conflict,” Quayle said. “Putin always wants more, a lesson we should learn after he invaded Georgia in 2008 and annexed Crimea in 2014. A president who placates Putin now will not make the same fiasco as he did in the 1930s. will be committed.”
Meanwhile, in the Middle East, Quayle said the cause of the “chaos” can be traced back to Iran, adding: “Until there is regime change in Tehran, it is unlikely there will be true peace in the region.” insisted.
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