US vs China at Sea .. PLA Navy Larger, Yet US Navy Has More Carriers & Destroyers

by Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

Most military observers and weapons developers know the People’s Liberation Army Navy is already larger than the US Navy, as the accelerating pace of China’s shipbuilding and modernization enterprise has been on the Pentagon’s radar for years. A lot of attention is being paid to China’s larger “Navy” and fast-growing fleet, yet a lesser known reality to this equation is that….at the moment … the US Navy operates more carriers and more destroyers than the PLA Navy.  .. alot more.  The US Navy also operates with a massive advantage when it comes to maritime-launched 5th-generation aircraft. 

The US Navy operates 11 carriers, compared with China’s 2, and the US Navy operates 92 destroyers compared to China’s roughly 50-destroyer strong fleet, according to Global Firepower’s 2023 military rankings.  China does have three times as many Corvettes than the US Navy, according to Global Firepower, operating 72 Corvettes compared to the US at 22.  Also, China is listed as having 43 Frigates, which is of course much more than the US Navy which is now fast-tracking its new Constellation-class Frigates.  China is reported to have a 10-submarine advantage as well, being listed at 78 compared to the US at 68.  This is one of many reasons why the US Navy and Congress are working to fast-track new build Virginia-class attack submarines. 

Looking more fully at the entire Chinese fleet there seem to be several extremely critical variables to keep in mind, particularly when one seeks to compare PLA maritime combat power with US Navy combat power.  While much is being made of the fact that, in terms of pure numbers, the Chinese Navy is larger, when it comes to what are arguably the most critical Naval war platforms — carriers and destroyers — the US Navy retains an extremely significant advantage. 

Also, while “mass still matters,” to quote the famous Sun Tzu, and the ability to deploy large, yet dispersed and networked maritime formations is doubtless of massive significance when it comes to blue-water or open water ocean warfare, simple numerical advantage may prove much less decisive than fewer ships with superior technologies. Pure fleet numbers would seem to provide much less of an advantage in today’s maritime warfare environment when compared with technological capability, particularly when it comes to sensor and weapons range, precision, unmanned systems, multi-domain networking and surface-air-ground-undersea connectivity. Should a single US Navy destroyer have the technological ability, through multi-domain networking, advanced sensing and long-range precision weaponry, to “see” and “destroy” PLA Navy warships from safe standoff distances …. then large numbers of Chinese ships would be extremely vulnerable and at risk of being destroyed by a single US Navy warship. The reverse is also true, meaning should the PLA operate a higher level of sensor range and fidelty, coupled with advanced weapons, then a numerical advantage itself would prove much less decisive. 

Simply put, having more ships does not instantly translate into maritime warfare or technological superiority, as Naval power is best measured according to a wide range of criteria to include sensor range and fidelity, weapons targeting, missile defense technology, weapons sophistication and lethality and, perhaps most of all, the extent of secure, multi-domain networking capability.

Chinese Carriers vs US Carriers