The head of US Pacific Command says the era of easy peace is over, a warning that means higher military spending and a more dangerous Pacific.

• The Pacific Command chief says the world has moved from the "end of history" to the "revenge of history," with China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran all active threats at once.
• Washington got caught out after the Cold War by assuming big-power conflict was finished, and now has too few warships to keep up.
• China is turning out 800 missiles a year, which is why so much US money is going into missiles and missile defense.
• Warfare itself is changing fast — cheap drones, cyber tools, space sensors, and AI now matter as much as ships and planes.
• Hawaii is central to this: the guided-missile destroyers at Pearl Harbor are there to shield Hawaii, Guam, and allies from missile and air attack.

Outlook: Expect the Pentagon to keep pushing Congress for more money, with the pitch that the cost of being unprepared would be far higher.