As China builds military bases on man-made islands in the South China Sea, the staggering decline in U.S. naval readiness was made clear when a group of Navy captains testified before an unusual joint hearing of the House Armed Services Committee’s seapower and readiness subcommittees last week. It was made clear that President Ronald Reagan’s 600-ship Navy is a distant memory as we return to the Jimmy Carter era of ships that can’t sail and planes that can’t fly for want of spare parts. This sad state of affairs is accomplishing what the Japanese Imperial Navy could not -- defeat the U.S. Navy and leave the seas increasingly open to hostile adversaries and leaving us increasingly unable to come to the aid of our remaining allies. As the Navy captains testified: “About every three months or so we would get a new schedule” for the submarine USS Albany, said Capt. Gregory McRae, deputy commander of Submarine Squadron Six. “Today, we are...(Read Full Article)