America faces a maritime crisis that few citizens recognize but that threatens our national security at its core. In this eye-opening conversation, Captain Brent Ramsey, a 40-year Navy veteran and defense writer, provides urgent insights into America’s diminishing naval capabilities against China’s rapidly expanding fleet and strategic ambitions.
- America’s status as a maritime nation with 90% of global commerce traveling by sea
- US Navy has shrunk from 600+ ships during the Reagan era to just 295 ships today
- China’s naval force now numbers 400 combat vessels plus 180 armed Coast Guard ships
- America’s shipbuilding capacity is 1/20th of China’s current production capability
- Chinese technology theft costs the US approximately $600 billion annually
- US Navy recruitment shortfalls and inability to meet readiness goals
- China’s stated intentions to seize Taiwan by 2027 and achieve global dominance by 2049
- Current naval funding represents just 0.5% of the federal budget
- Critical shortage of skilled tradespeople needed for shipbuilding
- Importance of revitalizing America’s naval industrial base and defense capabilities
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BIO: Captain Brent Ramsey (U.S. Navy, Ret.) served 30 years in the Navy and 23 years in Navy Civil Service. His assignments included Commanding Officer, Cargo Handling Battalion TWELVE, Executive Director, Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, and Mississippi Navy Emergency Preparedness Liaison Officer.
He served as Senior Advisor, Center for International Maritime Security, and was Member and Secretary of the non-partisan Military Advisory Group for Congressman Mark Meadows (NC-11) for four years. He currently serves in the same capacity for Congressman Chuck Edwards.
He is a Vice President with Calvert Task Group (CalvertTaskGroup.org) and on the Board of Advisors for STARRS (STARRS.US) and the Center for Military Readiness.
CAPT Ramsey studied at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, and is a graduate of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command Executive Management Program, the Reserve Components National Security Course, and the FEMA Emergency Preparedness Management Officers Course. He has written extensively on national defense matters since 2017.
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