Task Force Smith II. Only worse.

There's much to be alarmed about in the Chinese military buildup and the "What, me worry?" Obama drive to subordinate military preparedness to midnight basketball and free tummy tucks for senior citizens.

Investors Business Daily sheds a little light on this. Keep in mind as you read that the Chinese are formidable opponents. In subzero temperatures during the Korean War, they sent in their infantry without gloves. Every second man was without a weapon but was expected to pick up one from a fallen comrade. Now they won't be having any such equipment shortfalls:

A recent Congressional Quarterly article warned that China by itself would possess twice as many submarines as the U.S. by 2010, and would likely have a larger fleet by 2015, possibly including at least one carrier of its own.

The capabilities and proficiency of the Chinese submarine fleet [were] demonstrated on Oct. 26, 2006, when another Song-class attack sub surfaced undetected within weapons distance of the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk in the East China Sea off Okinawa.

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The U.S. Navy, which reached 568 ships in the late 1980s, struggles today to sustain a fleet of 279. The Navy is roughly the size it was on the eve of World War I.

If the reference to Task Force Smith is new to you, you can read about it and the price of unpreparedness here, here, and here.

"Walking Softly Vs. China's Big Stick." Investors Business Daily, 3/5/09 (emphasis added).