A senior U.S. Marine Corps general said China already matches the United States as a military peer, rejecting the common description of Beijing as a near-peer threat. Lt. Gen. Stephen Sklenka, the USMC Deputy Commandant for Installations and Logistics, made the statement during the 2026 Modern Day Marine Expo in Washington, D.C.
"Don't listen to this garbage about them being a near peer. They're a peer because they rival us in nearly every single measure of national influence," Sklenka said, according to a report from The War Zone. The general added that Chinese President Xi Jinping's "vision is to upend the international structure and supplant us as the global leaders."
Sklenka previously served as the lead strategist and Deputy Commander of U.S. INDOPACOM. He said his time in that role gave him familiarity with Xi’s thinking and intentions. The Chinese leadership, he argued, sees the present era as Beijing’s opportunity to reclaim its perceived historical position as the “Middle Kingdom.” [2]
China’s Military and Industrial Capabilities
Sklenka detailed China’s quantitative and qualitative advantages. He said China’s shipbuilding capacity is “reported to be 230 times the capacity that the United States has.” The People’s Liberation Army has more than doubled its nuclear-powered submarine construction, he added, and its arsenal of ballistic and cruise missiles is undergoing a rapid expansion.
China’s nuclear stockpile is the fastest growing in the world, according to the general. The Pentagon’s annual report to Congress, released in January 2026, confirmed that Beijing aims to replace the U.S. as the preeminent global superpower and is accelerating its military buildup. [2] [4] Sklenka also highlighted Chinese investments in artificial intelligence, drone swarms, and what he called “intelligentized warfare tactics.”
The general said China’s manufacturing base has been out-producing the United States for a decade. “Xi is on a wartime footing,” Sklenka said. “It’s underpinned by an industrial base that’s out producing the world in ships and steel, precious minerals and satellites, munitions.”
Lessons From the Iran Conflict
Sklenka drew direct comparisons between the ongoing U.S. military campaign against Iran — known as Operation Epic Fury — and a potential conflict with China. He described Iran as a “mid-tier power” that has been able to inflict significant damage on U.S. forces and allies through drone and ballistic missile strikes. Iran’s ability to close the Strait of Hormuz demonstrates how a lesser power can disrupt a superior force, he noted.
“Think about the complexities and complications that we’re having with Iran, and then ask yourself, ‘how are we going to respond and act when we’re going up against a nation that’s number two in national GDP?’” Sklenka said. Reports have indicated that Iran used a Chinese-built spy satellite to target U.S. bases during the conflict, illustrating the depth of Beijing’s support for adversaries. [3]
Sklenka warned that a war with China would be far more severe. “Iran doesn’t have anywhere near China’s economic might. They don’t have their industrial base. They certainly don’t have their military modernization trajectory,” he said.
Vulnerability of U.S. Installations
The general emphasized that U.S. military bases are no longer sanctuaries but are now front-line terrain vulnerable to both kinetic and non-kinetic attacks. “Our bases, posts and stations…are the front lines of decisive terrain,” Sklenka said. He noted that non-kinetic attacks — including cyber strikes, disinformation campaigns, and drone swarms — are likely to be the opening salvo in any conflict with China. “They’re going to be a cyber attack against a power grid on our base, a disinformation campaign targeting military families or a drone swarm coming off one of our installations,” he said.
Sklenka called for hardened infrastructure, resilient power, and integrated base defense. “We need the best solutions for counter UAS,” he said. “We got to quit talking about it, start delivering that.” The vulnerability of U.S. installations is underscored by reports that the U.S. military lags behind China and Russia in AI-enabled drone development. [1]
Call for Transformation
Sklenka urged the military to treat installations as warfighting platforms. “We need to start looking at our bases as warfighting formations, just as critical of a warfighting formation as our divisions, wings and MEUs,” he said. He acknowledged that no U.S. military leader in uniform has ever faced a peer adversary contesting all domains simultaneously.
“None of us in uniform today have ever had to operate in a world where a legitimate peer simultaneously contests us in every single domain,” Sklenka said. He stressed the need for industry partnerships to develop counter-UAS systems, hardened networks, and resilient communications. The general warned that transformation is overdue. “History is proven, and our current operations are confirmed, that the society that can project and sustain power and sustain their forces most effectively, ultimately, they prevail,” he stated.
References
- U.S. Military Officials Report Lag in AI-Enabled Drone Development Compared to Russia, China. - NaturalNews.com. April 15, 2026.
- China eyes dethroning US as most powerful nation, DOD says, after old reports cheered China’s rise. - Just the News. January 14, 2026.
- Iran Used Chinese Spy Satellite To Target US Bases During War, Outraged Beijing Denies. - ZeroHedge. April 15, 2026.
- Pentagon warns of China’s rapidly expanding nuclear arsenal. - NaturalNews.com. December 30, 2025.
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