The United States military is quietly accelerating efforts to strengthen its deterrence and warfighting capabilities against China in the Indo-Pacific region, particularly in the event of a conflict over Taiwan, according to a new report submitted to the US Congress by the head of US Indo-Pacific Command.
The 121-page document, obtained by Bloomberg News, employs notably sharper language in describing Beijing’s military ambitions compared with broader messaging from the Trump administration, which has taken a more conciliatory stance toward China in recent diplomatic engagements, including ahead of a planned summit between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.
In the report, Admiral Samuel Paparo states that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is undergoing a “historic expansion across all domains” and is actively preparing for two primary missions: forcing Taiwan’s unification with mainland China and countering US and allied defence capabilities in the region. He warns that Beijing is targeting full military readiness by 2027.
The report forms part of a broader assessment of how US forces in Asia would be funded under the Trump administration’s proposed record-breaking $1.5 trillion defence budget request. Paparo called on lawmakers to approve the 44% year-on-year increase, arguing that it is necessary to “defend the homeland and defeat China’s misaligned strategy.”
A significant portion of the proposed funding is directed toward new weapons systems designed to enhance US anti-ship and maritime denial capabilities. Among them is $592 million allocated for the development, prototyping, and procurement of the “Quicksink” programme, which would modify Boeing Co.’s GPS-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) bombs into low-cost, all-weather anti-ship weapons.
The system is designed to sink enemy vessels by detonating beneath the waterline, effectively breaking a ship’s keel. According to the report, Quicksink would help US forces “counter numerically superior adversary fleets across the Indo-Pacific,” a clear reference to China’s rapidly expanding naval power.
China currently operates the world’s largest navy, with more than 430 combat ships, according to data from the Congressional Research Service. In comparison, the US Navy fields around 291 combat vessels, highlighting a growing numerical imbalance that US defence planners are seeking to offset through advanced technology rather than fleet size alone.
The report also underscores the continued importance of the 2027 timeframe, which coincides with the 100th anniversary of the PLA. US military planners increasingly view this year as a potential milestone for Chinese military readiness, although some intelligence assessments released earlier in the year have softened earlier Pentagon projections suggesting China might attempt a forcible takeover of Taiwan by that date.
Another major programme included in the budget is “Quickstrike,” which requests $531 million to develop a family of shallow-water, aircraft-deployed sea mines designed to target both surface vessels and submarines. These systems are intended to enhance the US ability to control maritime access points and deny adversaries freedom of movement in strategically sensitive waters.
In addition, Admiral Paparo highlighted the “Clandestine Delivered Mine” programme, which leverages submarine-based deployment systems to covertly place minefields in key operational areas. This capability is intended to complement aerial mining operations and is being paired with advanced “Hammerhead” mines.
These seabed-mounted weapons use sensor systems to detect approaching threats before launching an Mk 54 lightweight torpedo, effectively turning the ocean floor into an autonomous defensive network. The report states that such systems could significantly strengthen US efforts to maintain control over critical maritime chokepoints.
While the document does not explicitly link the capability to a single theatre, its strategic implications extend beyond East Asia, particularly in light of recent global tensions surrounding key shipping routes such as the Strait of Hormuz, where naval competition has intensified in parallel geopolitical conflicts.
The budget request also highlights several additional technology programmes aimed at enhancing US electronic warfare and communications resilience. One such initiative, “Cancun,” focuses on developing advanced electronic countermeasures to disrupt China’s over-the-horizon radar systems, which are capable of detecting aircraft and ships at long ranges.
Another programme, referred to as “Darknet,” seeks to build a secure communications infrastructure designed to improve battlefield coordination and reduce vulnerability to cyber and electronic interception in high-intensity conflict scenarios.
Beyond maritime and electronic warfare capabilities, the Pentagon’s request places significant emphasis on hypersonic weapons development. The proposal includes $3 billion for Army and Navy hypersonic missile programmes, more than $1 billion for the Air Force’s hypersonic cruise missile development, $951 million for the “Blackbeard” low-cost hypersonic strike weapon, and $779 million for the Air-Launched Rapid Response Weapon (ARRW) programme.
Collectively, these investments reflect a broader strategic shift in US defence planning, prioritising long-range precision strike systems, distributed maritime lethality, and high-speed weapons designed to penetrate advanced air and missile defence networks.
Military analysts note that the Pentagon’s approach increasingly focuses on deterrence through technological superiority rather than numerical parity. The emphasis on hypersonic systems, autonomous naval mines, and cost-efficient anti-ship weapons suggests an effort to complicate Chinese operational planning across multiple domains.
At the same time, the report underscores the growing urgency within US defence circles over Taiwan’s security and the broader balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. As both Washington and Beijing continue to expand their military capabilities, the strategic competition between the two powers appears set to intensify further in the years leading up to 2027 and beyond.
