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A Chinese submarine surfaced within range of the USS Kitty Hawk during recent U.S. Navy exercises, baffling and concerning military officials. The incident occurred in the Pacific Ocean between Japan and Taiwan.
During the trials, in which the Navy deploys more than a dozen warships and a network of electronic defense measures to protect its supercarrier, a Song-class diesel-electric People’s Liberation Army Navy sub moved undetected into the middle of the exercise and surfaced within torpedo and missile range of the Kitty Hawk, one of the most significant ships in the American Navy.
The Kitty Hawk Carrier Strike Group is in the middle of the eight-day combined exercise, which began November 9 and ends November 16. The Hawk is one of 11 U.S. carriers and only three supercarriers; it is the only carrier in the world that is permanently forward-deployed. The ship is 1,065 feet long, has 4.1 acres of flight deck for more than 70 aircraft, and has 4,500 sailors and pilots aboard. It is the oldest active ship in the U.S. Navy and is known as “America’s flagship.”
The exercise involves the Hawk being supported by two cruisers, six destroyers and two nuclear fast-attack submarines, among other warships and patrol aircraft. The Song-class vessel, which is not a new model, eluded the entire group’s detection measures for an undetermined amount of time before surfacing.
The Chinese attack sub has left U.S. officials red-faced in its wake. The incident is a major embarrassment for the Pentagon, which is scrambling to figure out how its largest strike group completely missed the boat, and, according to a nato official, is rethinking its naval strategy as a result.
Beijing claims the event was a coincidence.
“It was certainly a wake-up call for the Americans,” Commodore Stephen Saunders, an anti-submarine specialist, said. “It would tie in with what we see the Chinese trying to do, which appears to be to deter the Americans from interfering or operating in their backyard, particularly in relation to Taiwan.”
National governments use their armed forces, particularly their navies, as symbolic weapons during peacetime. Carrier groups are one of the most important elements of American defense policy, as their capabilities and mobility allow Washington to project its power around the world.
“America’s flagship” operating in the Pacific assures allies and deters enemies in the region—that is, unless it is compromised by a stealthy Chinese sub popping up just to let you know it cares.
Japan, which participated with the Americans in the exercise, is less than reassured by the breach, and China, coincidentally, demanded on Tuesday that the U.S. cancel all arms sales and military links with Taiwan.
Although the United States is still considered the world’s only military superpower, signs are emerging that its enemies are becoming less and less afraid to challenge its supremacy in regional theaters like the Pacific. Watch for additional signs that the U.S. military is declining and that its enemies are ready to challenge it.
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