U.S. Shrinks Its Navy

Joe Biden has promised to spend more on defense next year since the world is getting more dangerous, yet his proposed $26 billion defense hike will not stop the United States Navy from shrinking.

In Senate testimony on March 28, Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro revealed that the U.S. Navy plans to shrink its fleet by 19 ships over the next five years. This could be dangerous as Del Toro admitted that China will likely have 440 vessels in 2028. There is a real risk that China will soon rule the waves.

Slashing spending: The U.S. will likely have to slash defense spending in the future as rising interest payments on the national debt gobble up a bigger share of the federal budget. But it would be better to slash Air Force, Army or Marine Corps spending than naval spending. Since the U.S. Navy protects America’s trade routes, it is the only branch of the armed forces mandated in the U.S. Constitution.

Article I, Section 8 grants Congress the power to raise armies as long as “no appropriation of money to that use shall be for a longer term than two years.” But it makes no such caveats about the Navy. It merely states that Congress shall have the power to “provide and maintain a Navy.” This distinction shows that the founders viewed armies as necessary for war but realized that the Navy played an important peacetime role. America should prioritize the protection of its trade routes if it values its independence.

Sea gates: At one time, the American and British peoples controlled virtually every maritime choke point on the planet. How did these nations grow to dominate global trade to such an extent?

In The United States and Britain in Prophecy, Herbert W. Armstrong explained that it began with a promise to Abraham. God promised Abraham’s descendants control over the “gates” of their enemies (Genesis 22:17). A gate is a narrow passage of entrance or exit. When speaking nationally, a “sea gate” is a narrow choke point like the Panama Canal. God gave America and Britain these gates and the naval power to protect them. Yet He also warned that if America and Britain did not obey Him, then not only would those sea gates be taken away, but they would be used against them (Deuteronomy 28:52).

Learn more: Request The United States and Britain in Prophecy, by Herbert W. Armstrong.