US Seeks Record $1.5T to Counter China Over Taiwan

The US military is dramatically expanding its capabilities to counter China over Taiwan, with Indo-Pacific Command requesting a record $1.5 trillion defense budget that includes new anti-ship weapons, sea mines, and hypersonic missiles designed to sink warships and maintain strategic control over critical waterways in Asia. Admiral Samuel Paparo submitted a 121-page report to Congress warning that China's People's Liberation Army is undergoing historic expansion and training specifically to "force Taiwan unification" by 2027, the PLA's 100th anniversary. The budget request, up 44 percent from the previous year, allocates $592 million for Quicksink bombs that can turn GPS-guided munitions into "low-cost, all-weather anti-ship weapons" capable of breaking a ship's keel, and $531 million for "Quickstrike" sea mines to target surface and subsurface vessels. The report highlights China's overwhelming naval advantage, noting it operates the world's largest navy with more than 430 ships compared to the US Navy's 291 combat vessels. New mine programs include the Clandestine Delivered Mine system and Hammerhead devices that can be moored to seabeds and launch torpedoes at detected threats. The budget also includes $3 billion for hypersonic missiles for the Army and Navy, over $1 billion for Air Force hypersonic cruise missiles, and hundreds of millions for electronic countermeasures against China's radar systems. The April 6 report uses notably tougher language about Beijing's intentions than the broader Trump administration, which has taken a more conciliatory approach ahead of recent summits with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Separately, US defense industry leaders are pushing for deeper commercial ties with Taiwan to help address a backlog exceeding $20 billion in approved weapons deliveries, though executives caution such deals cannot replace traditional arms sales. At a Taiwan-US Defense Industry Forum in Taipei, retired General Charles Flynn sought to reassure the island after President Trump described arms sales as a "good negotiating chip" with Beijing. Meanwhile, Chinese delegates attending the Shangri-La Dialogue security conference in Singapore anticipate Washington will take a less confrontational tone on Taiwan than last year, when US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth warned of "devastating consequences" if China attempted to conquer the island by force.