BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front):
Steve Bannon and retired U.S. Navy Captain James Fanell raised urgent alarms on Saturday’s WarRoom program,  about the need to shift America’s military priorities toward naval power projection in the Indo-Pacific, arguing that the current trillion-dollar defense budget is not effectively postured to deter or defeat threats from China’s PLA Navy. Drawing parallels to the successful naval strategy of World War II and the Reagan-era fleet build-up, they called for a strategic realignment of defense spending—away from land forces and toward maritime dominance.

Situation Overview:
Bannon and Fanell emphasized that America is at a critical juncture, facing a looming threat from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its rapidly expanding naval capabilities. They stressed that deterrence in the Pacific cannot be achieved through legacy post-9/11 land war structures but must be rooted in robust naval power and forward deployment, echoing strategies of 1940 and lessons from the Battle of Midway.

Key Discussion Points:

• Pacific Theater Priority:
  Both Bannon and Fanell, veterans of the Pacific Fleet, rejected accusations of bias for advocating a maritime focus. Instead, they argued that strategic reality—not sentiment—is driving their recommendations. Fanell stressed that the United States is not preparing for a land war in Asia or Europe, and must prioritize sea power to prevent catastrophic consequences.

• Reallocation of Defense Budget:
  Bannon challenged Fanell to offer tangible solutions, noting the current $1 trillion defense budget does little to expand or modernize the Navy. Fanell responded directly: reduce the size of the Army and Marine Corps, which ballooned post-9/11, and reinvest those resources into shipbuilding and naval readiness.

• Allied Integration and Ship Restoration:
  Fanell proposed leveraging allied naval bases in Asia for U.S. ship homeporting and reconsidering decommissioned vessels that could be restored for active duty. He echoed a World War II posture of forward deployment to project strength and maintain deterrence.

• Trump Doctrine and Hemispheric Defense:
  Bannon tied the strategy back to President Trump’s vision of hemispheric defense, extending from Greenland to the Panama Canal, and focused on blocking both Russian and Chinese threats. He underscored that only a revitalized Navy can meet this challenge head-on.

• Commitment to Strategic Naval Blueprint:
  At Bannon’s urging, Capt. Fanell committed to drafting a data-driven strategic column detailing how the U.S. could rebalance defense spending and meet the needs of a 21st-century naval force—free of "happy talk” and sentiment, but rooted in geopolitical necessity.

Implications:
This call to action highlights a fundamental debate within U.S. defense planning: Should America continue to invest in land forces optimized for ground engagements, or shift decisively toward a maritime-centric force to confront its most immediate and capable adversary—China?

Bannon and Fanell are signaling that time is short and that the consequences of underinvesting in naval power could mirror the strategic disasters of the past. They invoked Midway not merely as history, but as a modern template for survival and dominance in the Pacific.

Conclusion:
The urgency conveyed by Bannon and Fanell is clear: The United States must rearm its Navy now to avoid strategic surprise. With the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army approaching and President Trump preparing the largest military parade since the Civil War, the symbolic and practical focus on military readiness may offer an ideal moment for a national pivot in defense priorities—before the next Midway is lost.

For more context, watch this WarRoom segment from Saturday’s WarRoom:

FANNELL: In The Past 30 Years China Has More Than Doubled The Size Of Its Navy