According to the U.S. publication NSJ, on September 5, during a defense conference in Prague, Czech Republic, NATO Secretary General and former Dutch Prime Minister Rutte issued a warning. He said after China's military parade: "I am really worried that China's shipbuilding speed has far surpassed that of the United States."

He cited data from the International Institute for Strategic Studies, stating that China's current shipbuilding industry is 200 times larger than that of the United States.

Rutte emphasized that if production speed is not accelerated, the West may completely lose its maritime superiority.

In Rutte's call, the keyword was for NATO to collectively catch up with China, as if as long as they unite and work hard, the West still has a chance.

Rutte's remarks were not unexpected, but somewhat amusing.

Firstly, he himself is a representative of those who actively cut European military strength. During his 13-year tenure as Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the defense budget remained below the NATO average for a long time, multiple units of the Dutch army were cut, and even the only tank battalion in the country was disbanded.

Now, after changing roles, he is now urging allies to accelerate shipbuilding, which is quite ironic.

Secondly, the so-called collective action of NATO is each doing their own thing.

The United States has shifted its focus to the Asia-Pacific, while European countries are all playing their own small games.

France and Germany advocate strategic autonomy, while Eastern European countries such as Poland rely more on Washington; Britain has become a declining empire, and Turkey is sowing discord within NATO.

Rutte wants to mobilize collective effort to catch up, but in terms of the navy, it has always been each for themselves, so how can there be industrial collaboration?

Rutte

The current state of the U.S. shipbuilding industry has reached a level that is even more ridiculous than a joke.

Currently, the main U.S. shipyards are few, and all are private monopolies, relying on government orders, with low efficiency and high costs.

Taking the Ford-class aircraft carriers as an example, each one costs over $13 billion, has frequent malfunctions, and takes more than eight years to build.

The Virginia-class nuclear submarines were originally planned to build two per year, but in reality, not even one has been delivered.

Not to mention the FFGX frigate project, which is still in the PowerPoint stage.

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has continuously released reports for many years, criticizing the aging structure and chaotic management of the U.S. shipbuilding system, and this situation has not improved at all even after the outbreak of the Ukraine conflict.

More importantly, U.S. shipyards are facing a generational gap in skilled workers, with young people unwilling to learn dirty jobs such as welding, outfitting, and pipe installation. The average age of shipyard workers is approaching 55, and many positions are lost when an employee retires.

Trying to catch up with China's fleet of ships being launched like a flood is just a joke.

U.S. Shipyard

Europe's situation is even worse.

European military shipbuilding has never been for war preparation, but rather to get budgets to support enterprises.

France, Germany, and the UK act independently, with various types of ships, incompatible systems, and serious fragmentation of maintenance systems.

The UK's Type 26 frigate project has been delayed for ten years, the French Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier frequently returns to the factory after going to sea, and the next one is expected to be commissioned in 2038. The first ship of the German Baden-Württemberg-class frigates could not reverse during testing and had to be reworked for one and a half years.

These projects often face delays, cost increases, and political disputes, and lack the ability to mass-produce under wartime conditions.

Moreover, many European countries have never built a single combat-capable ship, almost entirely relying on American-made ships to maintain their naval presence. Their shipbuilding lines have been shut down for many years.

How can these countries suddenly accelerate to catch up with China?

Chinese Shipyard

Therefore, if the U.S. and Europe work together, it will not result in a greater effect than one plus one, but instead drag each other back.

The U.S. and Europe lack unified standards, fragmented supply chains, and military companies compete rather than collaborate, making it impossible to form an efficient closed-loop industrial system like China.

By the time the U.S. and Europe agree on cooperation, China may have already launched two 055s, one 075, and one new 094A nuclear submarine.

This kind of synergy exists only in speeches, not in reality.

China's advantage is not just a single piece of equipment, but the entire system integration capability, as well as a long-term awareness of preparing for the possibility of war.

China has never taken NATO as a target, and China is not developing to surpass anyone.

What China wants to do is build a modern national security system, prepare for the once-in-a-century changes in the world, protect the national waterways of millions of people, and ensure the energy and maritime lifelines of the world's largest industrial base.

However, if you really want to join together, then come on. We don't fear it, and we don't have time to wait.

China still has more important things to do.

Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7546859267215622691/

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