How does the US change its aircraft carrier deployment to deal with China?

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.

Mattis said that with the current pre-planned deployment, US aircraft carriers are no different from merchant ships with predictable itineraries, causing 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.

Instead of deploying for eight months at a time in one location as is typical, each carrier can be at sea for only a short time but appear in more areas.

"Ships can return home in just 90 days, instead of nearly a year at sea. We will have a force ready to respond to total war, not keeping sailors' families separated for too long, and training time will be increased," said Mr. Mattis.

This plan is considered quite suitable for the defense strategy of the US President Donald Trump administration, which prioritizes dealing with Russia and China, two countries that possess many weapons that can destroy US aircraft carriers.