> There was nothing about the deployment of the three Chinese vessels — a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment tanker — that was technically impressive or str

> There was nothing about the deployment of the three Chinese vessels — a cruiser, a frigate and a replenishment tanker — that was technically impressive or strategically significant. As the article stresses, it'd be far more accurate to say that Australia (which is a continent of almost 3,000,000 sq. miles, with a GDP a bit under $2 trillion) was circumnavigated by the tiny Chinese force. And the only thing impressive about that force was just how meager Australia's own Navy looked by comparison. TBD: Whether Australia's leadership can be bothered to get their sh*t together, and shift the balance of power a bit more in their own favor. Old Geezer Perspective: The modern-day US Navy was effectively founded in 1880. Post-Civil War, the US had let its respectable-in-1865 Navy dwindle to little more than a few half-rotten hulks. Vs. Europe had a naval arms race, with warship technology leaping ahead every year. For their own reasons, Britain's Royal Navy discouraged other European powers from taking advantage of American impotence. But Europe's shipyards were happy to build (for profit) modern warships for various South American nations. One of those warships visited New York Harbor in 1880, resulting in a national oh shit moment - as America realized that just that one modern warship, from some South American navy or other, could take on the entire US Navy - and easily win. Very suddenly, building up a serious modern US Navy was a top national priority.