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The U.S. Navy, too, has been shrinking.[qh]
美国海军也一直在收缩。[qh]
After the Second World War, the Navy scrapped many of its ships and sent many more into a ready-reserve “mothball” fleet. [qh]
第二次世界大战后，美国海军报废了许多舰船，并将更多的舰船送入预备役“后备”舰队。[qh]
For the next two decades, the active naval fleet hovered at about 1,000 ships. [qh]
在接下来的20年里，现役海军舰队徘徊在1000艘左右。[qh]
But beginning in 1969, the total began to fall. [qh]
但从1969年开始，舰队总数开始下降。[qh]
By 1971, the fleet had been reduced to 750 ships. Ten years later, it was down to 521. [qh]
到1971年，舰队已经减少至750艘。十年后，降至521艘。[qh]
Reagan, who had campaigned in 1980 on a promise to rebuild the Navy to 600 ships, nearly did so under the able leadership of his secretary of the Navy, John Lehman. [qh]
里根在1980年竞选时承诺将海军重建到600艘，在海军部长约翰·雷曼的得力领导下，里根几乎兑现了这一承诺。[qh]
During Reagan’s eight years in office, the size of the Navy’s fleet climbed to just over 590 ships.[qh]
在里根执政的8年里，海军舰队的规模攀升至590多艘。[qh]
Then the Cold War ended. The administrations of Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton slashed troops, ships, aircraft, and shore-based infrastructure. [qh]
随后冷战结束。乔治·沃克·布什和比尔·克林顿政府削减了军队、舰船、飞机和以海岸为基地的基础设施。[qh]
During the Obama administration, the Navy’s battle force bottomed out at 271 ships.[qh]
在奥巴马执政期间，海军的战舰数量降至最低，为271艘。[qh]
Meanwhile, Russia, in different ways, began to develop systems that would challenge the U.S.-led regime of global free trade on the high seas.[qh]
与此同时，俄罗斯开始以不同方式发展挑战美国领导的全球公海自由贸易体制的体系。[qh]
Russia began to invest in highly sophisticated nuclear-powered submarines with the intention of being able to disrupt the oceanic link between NATO nations in Europe and North America.[qh]
俄罗斯开始投资高精核动力潜艇，目的是能够破坏欧洲和北美北约国家之间的海洋联系。[qh]
Russia also sought to extend territorial claims into international waters, the aim being to control the free passage of shipping near their shores and in their perceived spheres of influence.[qh]
俄罗斯还寻求将领土权扩展到国际水域，目的是控制其海岸附近和其认为的势力范围内的船舶的自由通行。[qh]
In short: Autocratic powers are trying to close the global commons.[qh]
简而言之: 专制国家正试图关闭全球公共海域。[qh]
Today the United States is financially constrained by debt, and psychologically burdened by recent military conflicts—for the most part, land-based actions in Iraq and Afghanistan fought primarily by a large standing army operating far from home—that turned into costly quagmires. [qh]
今天的美国在财政上受到债务限制，在心理上受到最近军事冲突的困扰——多半冲突来自伊拉克和阿富汗的陆基行动，该行动主要由一支远离家乡的大型常备军作战——变成了代价高昂的泥潭。[qh]
We can no longer afford to be both a continentalist power and an oceanic power. [qh]
我们再也无法既做得起一个大陆大国又做得起一个海洋大国了。[qh]
But we can still exert influence, and at the same time avoid getting caught up in the affairs of other nations. [qh]
但我们仍然可以施加影响，同时避免卷入其他国家的事务。[qh]
Our strategic future lies at sea.[qh]
我们的战略未来在海上。[qh]
