China Thinks 50 Years Ahead. Can the US?
A new House committee might set policy on security, diplomacy, trade and cooperation — but only if it avoids partisanship.
Can Mike Gallagher take on Beijing?
Photographer: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc. via Getty Images
In dealing with a rising China, one vital element of America’s national approach is missing: a long-term strategy. I spent decades as a strategic planner in the Pentagon, mostly focused on that elusive point where budget — money to pay troops, buy weapons, build overseas bases, conduct crucial research — meets a viable strategic concept.
It is hard work, believe me. We did high fives when we managed to construct a short, five-year plan for defense spending, and that was before we needed to incorporate the threat of China as a true rival. Meanwhile, my opposite number in the People’s Liberation Army, under the watchful eye of the Chinese Communist Party, was methodically, deliberately and efficiently building at least a 50-year plan, if not something that looked a century into the future. China is the ultimate long-term planner, and we’ve never been able to replicate that in Washington.