How to respond to China’s challenge at sea

China is building a navy, and it clearly intends to challenge the United States and the broader international community — not only in the waters off its coast, but on all the high seas across the globe.

Of course, this is not a new insight. Defense leaders, including the late senator John McCain, have been highlighting China’s investments in new ships, including aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered fast-attack submarines, as well as advanced anti-access/area-denial weapons to thwart U.S. carrier groups. What is not understood is how two parallel policies over the past generation — one that guided the contraction of the overall …