Senator Dave McCormick, a Republican from Pennsylvania and West Point graduate, recently warned that the United States is operating under a "false sense of security" regarding its military competition with China. Speaking at the Hudson Institute following a diplomatic trip to Japan and South Korea, McCormick argued that the U.S. is failing to keep pace with China’s rapid advancements in "new ways of war."

McCormick’s primary critique centers on the allocation of the U.S. defense budget. He claimed that approximately 90 percent of current military spending is directed toward maintaining decades-old equipment and legacy technologies. He suggested that this focus leaves the U.S. vulnerable and ill-equipped for modern, technology-driven warfare. To address this, McCormick advocated for a significant shift in spending priorities toward modern systems and emphasized the necessity of strengthening military cooperation with regional allies in the Indo-Pacific.

While the report highlights McCormick's perspective, it does not provide a counter-argument from the Department of Defense or independent military analysts regarding the current state of U.S. military modernization. The senator’s comments reflect a growing bipartisan concern in Washington regarding China's military growth, though his specific claim about the 90 percent allocation to legacy systems serves as the primary basis for his call to action.