There are only two kinds of ships, submarines and targets. Without its massive armada of protective vessels, a carrier is a very easy target.
A Chinese submarine penetrated the defensive ring around the carrier Kitty Hawk a few years ago without being detected. And to add insult to injury the Chinese sub surfaced about five miles from the Kitty Hawk just to send the message that American carriers are vulnerable to Chinese subs.
The ~300 nukes that China possesses are enough to destroy every population center in America over 100,000 in population and irradiate thousands of smaller communities.
If America pivots toward East Asia and the Western Pacific as Obama proposes the US will be drawn into conflicts which will sap its power.
Listen...the Chinese have never projected military power outside of Asia. They'll never try to take the US over, it's not in thier national identity, and never will. Besides, a stiff wind will take care of thier navy.
Uh huh http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-submarine_weapon#Torpedo Not that it matters...We have a vast Sub fleet as well. China has no Submarine technology that we do not also have. Their nukes cannot reach every population center in the US. 300 nukes does not = 300 ICBMs. That is their inventory with ranges over 1700 miles. So lets see...they have a total of 62 nukes that can travel over 1700 miles. And keep in mind they do NOT have 62 launchers, so the actual number in their alpha strike will be even less than that. These will mostly be launched from land, not sea...meaning even fewer would be able to penetrate very deep into mainland America. By contrast, we have a VAST nuclear arsenal aboard a fleet of nuclear subs, in addition to land based ICBMs that can easily travel around the entire planet. We spent many decades arming ourselves for a war with the Soviets (who are also on the other side of the planet), and we still have most of those nukes. Even China says they only have nukes as a deterrent...and they do serve that function. China has more than enough nukes to seriously damage us. But 95% of our population? LOL! And even if what you said was true, that is not 95% of our population anyway. If we ignore East Asia, China will extend it's influence, sapping our power anyway. So that is an empty threat. A weaker Communist China is in our best interest. With the Soviets gone, they are our largest remaining threat. Terrorist states might be more LIKELY to attack us, but China could cause far more damage than all of them combined. Germany never tried to take over the world before WWII. BFD. Their national identity is whatever the CCP tells them it is. China is not a democracy. The Chinese masses do not define the will of the government. I agree. And we need to make sure it stays that way. The fact that we are currently far ahead is not an "I Win" button. We need to maintain our lead. The Chinese are not retards...whatever we figured out they will eventually figure out as well.
A dangerous precedent... Japan, US Call Off Naval Drill for Fear of Chinas Reaction October 21,`12 - Japan has decided to cancel its planned joint naval drill with the United States fearing that it would provoke a negative reaction from China, the Japan Times daily reported citing an unnamed source in the government.
When Hussein Obama recalls all the US nuclear subs and aircraft carriers, ties them to the pier and pays off their crews, the US advantage evaporates.
The focus with be Asia and Africa.. Gwadar will be a hub. http://tribune.com.pk/story/431304/china-confirms-takeover-of-gwadar-port-report/
I would laugh so (*)(*)(*)(*) hard if they built a big fancy fleet and it got decimated by a Typhoon like during the two times they tried to invade Japan under the Mongols.
Japan just launched the first of some "Helicopter destroyers" which look like mini-aircraft-carriers, with a couple of life-sized ones to follow. They are also making noises about removing their pacifist policy, maintained since WWII.
obama's Pivot to Asia policy is underfunded and will lead to conflict between China and America. There's a Rand Study from a couple of years ago that predicts the us will lose a war to the Chinese in the year 2020 through attrition warfare. An australian study confirmed the conclusion of the Rand Study. The US better get its butt out of e. asia and the western pacific before the Chinese kick Uncle Sam's rear end all the way back to San Diego.
Chinese learning how to land jets on carrier... China flexes naval might with new aircraft carrier's first jet landing 25 November, 2012, China has successfully landed a warplane on its first aircraft carrier. The new J-15 jet fighter touched down on the Liaoning as part of the ships operational tests.
So what? one leaky tub of a carrier vs 11 American ones? Don't make me laugh. The modern American navy is more dominant than even the British one was at its height.
Before you go public with your Red Underwear, understand that the Big PRess Release was that Red China managed to land A JET, as IN ONE JET, on an aircraft carrier..THE FIRSST TIME EVER. ONE JET.
One needs enough ships to be wherever one is needed to dominate...Unfortunately we have lost that capability.
You forgot a third point and that is China may become a potential partner in global security issues that transcend individual nationalistic concerns.
no we haven't... at least one carrier per ocean with several to spare, multiple nuclear submarines in every ocean, and hundreds of support vessels all over shows the folly of your post. No one can or will dare challenge American naval superiority, not in this century at least.
I haven't read the whole thread so I apologize if this has already been discussed. The US can't afford to maintain an advanced forward position vis a vis China in the Western Pacific indefinitely. The Yellow Sea, East China Sea and much of the South China Sea are to China what the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico are to America. The proximity of those waters to China gives the Han staying power that America will never again have because the US has lost its hegemony. There's a Rand Study from a few years ago, along with an Australian Study, that conclude that America will lose an air war in the Wesern Pacific to China after the year 2020 through sheer attrition. The US should pull back to Guam and Pearl Harbor.
But that study never took into consideration just how modern and prepared the JDF is. US with JDF forces can still pose a serious threat to China if China wants a war. And the main problem with your supposition is that China or the US wants a war. Neither nation wants that. China depends on the US for much of its economy. It would be like the US attacking Canada or Mexico. The US does not want a war with China, except the neocons, because it will devestate our and Europes economy whether we win, lose, or draw.
Do You have ANY idea how big an ocean is and how small the area of sea control a carrier battle group can cover? It takes days to simply cross the Atlantic...weeks to get from Norfolk to Capetown and much more time to get to the IO...our submarine numbrs and other surface combatant numbers are simply embarrassing.
