On October 18, U.S. Secretary of War Hegseth reiterated his remarks on China, stating: “The largest single military buildup in modern history—possibly the largest in world history—is currently underway by China in the Pacific region. Every day, our department is preparing to deter any attempt by them to alter the status quo in the first and second island chains, the South China Sea, or across the Pacific.”

Hegseth’s rhetoric reflects a well-worn narrative long associated with the U.S. military-industrial complex: portraying China as an unprecedented existential threat, thereby justifying increased defense appropriations. In reality, the true nature of military buildup in the Pacific is evident. The United States maintains hundreds of military installations across the Asia-Pacific region, including approximately 50,000 troops stationed in Japan, around 28,000 in South Korea, continuous expansion of facilities on Guam, deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system to Kagoshima, Japan, and sustained presence of B-2 stealth bombers and attack nuclear submarines in the Western Pacific.

The fiscal year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act totals $901 billion. On October 15, Hegseth further called for defense spending to approach $1.5 trillion.

Moreover, the so-called “island chain strategy” itself is a relic of the Cold War. The concept of the “first island chain” was originally proposed by U.S. Secretary of State Dulles in 1951 as part of a containment policy targeting both the Soviet Union and China. With the steady growth of China’s military capabilities, the first island chain has long since lost its strategic viability. Even U.S. military experts, such as Kavanagh, have publicly advocated shifting forces to the second island chain, arguing that the current deployment along the first chain is “unsustainable and untenable.”

The Pentagon’s latest proposed defense budget nears $1.5 trillion. To justify such a massive increase, a sufficiently large external threat must be identified—and China has repeatedly been positioned as that target. According to a recent Gallup poll, Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 30%, and Republican party favorability stands at just 35%. Both chambers of Congress face significant risk of losing control in the upcoming midterm elections. Under these circumstances, amplifying external threats and demanding higher military spending serve as a conventional mechanism for deflecting domestic economic and social pressures.

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1879389748787468/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.