How does the US change the deployment of aircraft carriers to deal with China?
The Pentagon believes that the current method of deploying aircraft carrier strike groups on a scheduled basis eliminates the element of surprise to potential adversaries.
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US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis. Photo:Reuters |
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis last month revealed a series of major changes in the way aircraft carriers are deployed at a meeting with the US House Armed Services Committee.Defense NewsMay 3 news.
Mr. Mattis said that with the current pre-planned deployment route, US aircraft carriers are no different from merchant ships with predictable itineraries and cause Washington to lose its strategic advantage at sea. "This is not the way to operate a naval force," Mattis asserted.
The US currently owns 11 aircraft carriers, each of which, when deployed to locations around the world, is notified in advance about its schedule, operating location, or anchorage.
To prepare the US Navy for potential conflicts with naval powers like China, Mr. Mattis wants aircraft carriers to be deployed more quickly and without pre-planning, to maintain the advantage of secrecy and surprise.
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Aircraft carriers in service with the US Navy. Photo:US Navy |
Instead of deploying for eight consecutive months in one location as usual, each aircraft carrier can only be at sea for a short time but appear in more areas.
"Ships can return after only 90 days, instead of nearly a year at sea. We will have a force ready to respond to total war, not keep sailors' families separated for too long, and training time will be increased," Mr. Mattis said.
This plan is considered quite suitable for the defense strategy of the administration of US President Donald Trump, which prioritizes dealing with Russia and China, two countries possessing many weapons that can destroy US aircraft carriers.
