ined. But should Americans worry about this ship, or not?
“My assessment is that if were China, and I was in the economic position that China is in, and I was in the position where I have to look after my global security interests, I would consider building an aircraft carrier. And I might consider building several aircraft carriers,” said Adm. Samuel Locklear, commander of Pacific Command (PACOM). Locklear’s comments echo the Pentagon’s longstanding position that China’s recent military buildup should not be considered a surprise or, necessarily, a threat.
“If the issue is if they are not part of that global security environment, I think we have to be concerned about it.”
The Obama administration has aggressively engaged the Chinese military for the past three years, trying to demystify the intentions behind their buildup and working to integrate them into a larger sense of global security. Pentagon officials and documents constantly state that China is not an “adversary.”
Some China wat