In an opinion piece for Fox News, Senator Todd Young argues that China's large commercial shipping fleet could pose a hidden military threat to American ports. He warns that cargo vessels owned or operated by Chinese firms with links to the Chinese Communist Party might conceal weapons — such as missile launchers hidden in shipping containers — and that US leaders should prepare for this possibility. The concern matters because the United States is a major destination for global shipping and has long relied on a sense of security afforded by its geography.

Young points to a recent Ukrainian operation that destroyed roughly a third of Russia's strategic-bomber fleet using drones smuggled inside shipping containers, arguing it exposed the vulnerabilities of everyday commerce. He cites naval analysts who say China is retrofitting cargo ships with long-range and surface-to-air missiles, drone-launching systems and radar. Using the Port of Houston — America's largest by tonnage and home to major petrochemical and refining capacity — as an example, he outlines scenarios ranging from a costly port shutdown to seize a suspect vessel, to an undetected ship launching a devastating attack causing extensive damage and loss of life.