WORLD / Politics

Republicans want more naval muscle as deterrent in South China Sea dispute

Family members of sailors wave as the U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan arrives Oct. 1 at a U.S. Navy base in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. The U.S. Pacific Fleet is smaller than it was in the 1990s, helping fuel a debate about whether the U.S. has enough ships to meet challenges posed by fast-growing and increasingly assertive Chinese naval forces. | AP

Reuters

Jan 8, 2016

WASHINGTON –

Tension over the South China Sea highlights the need for the United States to maintain a strong Navy to serve as a deterrent, U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan said on Thursday, criticizing the Obama administration for proposals he said would reduce the U.S. naval fleet.

"This just shows that we need to have a strong navy," Ryan said at a news briefing. "We should not have a president proposing to lower our ship count to pre-World War I levels. This means we need to have a strong military and a strong Navy, and a real foreign policy, which we do not now have."

Ryan's comments came one day after China again landed a plane on a disputed island in the South China Sea. In addition to China, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims to territory in those waters.