MILITARY INTEL: The Erosion of Naval Dominance Timelines The U.S. Navy's surface combatant force has declined from 570 ships (1987) to 296 today, while China's naval fleet has expanded from ~400 to 340+ modern vessels in the same period—closing a 170-ship gap in 35 years. The People's Liberation Army Navy's construction rate now exceeds U.S. output by roughly 3:1, with China launching ~7-8 major combatants annually versus America's 1-2. Historically, naval power transitions have preceded geopolitical shifts: Britain's naval dominance lasted until 1945; the lag between industrial capacity and acknowledged supremacy created conflict windows in 1890-1914 and 1935-1941. Why this matters: If current trajectories hold, the Indo-Pacific power vacuum widens before 2035. This affects freedom of navigation in waters representing $5+ trillion in annual trade, alliance cohesion from Japan to Philippines, and technological standards competition (5G, semiconductors, rare earths).