"The US Navy Is In Decline"

The United States Navy is in decline, a naval expert has told Forces TV.

The comments come after the man poised to become in charge of the Pentagon said the US military is not currently fully ready to confront the challenges it faces.

While the country's maritime force remains a powerhouse - an overwhelming force of ships which dominates the world's seas - its strength has fallen to 272 ships.

At the end of the Cold War, the battle fleet was almost 600-strong - and today's ships are stretched between more commitments around the world than ever.

Russia and China, meanwhile, have invested heavily in their navies in recent years.

China, in particular, is boosting its fleet, with one aircraft carrier, another on the way and plans for a third.

It's also building a network of bases, including new militarised islands near a disputed reef in the South China Sea, projecting power which could push the US Navy out of the region.

But Seth Cropsey, the Director of the Hudson Institute's Centre for American Sea Power, told Forces TV's Charlotte Banks that Donald Trump's promise to reinvigorate the US Navy could be a game-changer.

More: China And Russia To Hold Joint Drills In South China Sea