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Washington keeps talking about deterrence, but talk won’t stop shells from running out mid-conflict. Sen. Dave McCormick warned on Fox News Sunday that our defense stockpiles are still dangerously thin while the danger of a Chinese move on Taiwan refuses to go away.
Stockpiles, surge capacity, and the real cost of being unprepared
McCormick didn’t use soft language: rebuild the stockpiles or accept risk. The Ukraine fight exposed what every realist in uniform has been saying for years — we don’t have the surge capacity for a high-end fight against a peer competitor. That’s not abstract; it’s a factory humming or sitting idle, a supplier paid to keep lines warm, and ammo that’s already been cross‑shipped to other theaters.
Ordinary Americans should care because this is where jobs and national security intersect. Rebuilding munitions capacity means manufacturing work in towns that voted for respect, not fancy briefings. It also means taxpayers get a better return on defense dollars when programs are aimed at real readiness, not vanity projects that look good on agency slides.
Taiwan, China, and the stakes for U.S. credibility
Let’s be blunt: Taiwan isn’t some distant diplomatic exercise. A credible deterrent depends on having what you need when you need it — ships, planes, missiles and the stores to keep them fighting. If Beijing calculates that the U.S. can be bluffed out by logistics shortages, deterrence evaporates faster than a press release can spin it.
That reality ripples into the lives of servicemembers and their families. A hollow stockpile means commanders have to choose where to fight and who to short — decisions that get real people killed or maimed. We owe troops the certainty that when we send them into harm’s way, Washington backed them up, not boxed them in with empty promises.
AI regulation, the defense edge, and why one-size rules will fail
McCormick also pushed a sensible point on AI: regulate smartly, not smother innovation. Blanket bans or heavy-handed rules handed down by distant bureaucrats would hand China an advantage in military applications where margins count. We need a framework that protects civil liberties and prevents runaway risks while letting the defense industrial base adapt tools for targeting, logistics, and decision support.
This is less theoretical than it sounds. AI that helps forecast supply chain bottlenecks, optimize ammo production, or prevent fratricide saves money and lives. But if regulation pushes those tools overseas or into the hands of adversaries, we’ve tied one hand behind our commanders’ backs before a fight even starts.
Capable defense means more than willing politicians mouthing resolve on cable. It means sustained funding, industrial policy that rewards readiness, and a regulatory approach that keeps America competitive while protecting citizens. The question for Republicans and Democrats alike: do we have the stomach to act now, or do we wait until the shortage becomes a casualty count?
