The US Navy has lost control of the Pacific Ocean:
The U.S. Navy is facing a shortfall of deployed carriers in the Pacific as the buildup in the Middle East continues. The lack of carriers has left a critical gap in the West Pacific. The departure of USS Abraham Lincoln coincides with the change in homeport of USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) from Yokosuka, Japan to Bremerton, Washington. The Ronald Reagan‘s replacement, the USS George Washington (CVN 73) still in San Diego on a scheduled port visit.
The U.S. Navy’s other Pacific-based carriers are in port or in their maintenance availability period. Out of six carriers in the Pacific, the USS Carl Vinson recently participated in RIMPAC 2024, the USS Nimitz recently completed a six month planned incremental availability period for maintenance, the USS Ronald Reagan recently completed a homeport shift to Naval Base Kitsap, and the USS George Washington will remain in San Diego until the crew and equipment swap from USS Ronald Reagan is complete.
With no U.S. carriers in the Pacific for at least three weeks, the Navy is leaving a critical gap in coverage in a region where standoffs and incidents are common, as seen this week when a Chinese Coast Guard (CCG) vessel collided with a Philippines Coast Guard (PCG) vessel in the South China Sea near Filipino outposts in the region.
The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense also announced several live fire exercises with precision guided weapons, including a series of tests with PAC-2 and Tien Kung III surface-to-air missiles and Hsiung Feng II-E anti-ship missiles.
Between the Middle East, maintenance periods, and the Indo-Pacific, the US Navy’s carrier fleet is stretched thin trying to uphold a high-demand presence worldwide.
It’s fascinating to see how the once-dominant power of the US Navy has so rapidly faded, without the Navy losing a single capital ship to enemy action. But the advancements in anti-ship missile technology are rendering surface ships even more vulnerable than aircraft; since the US has always been an air-and-naval power, these advancements have naturally affected the US military most and eliminated its global superpower status.
We’ll know that the USA has surrendered the Pacific to China when Japan formally switches sides and shuts down the US bases in the mainland, and especially, on Okinawa. This could be coming as soon as the next Japanese administration, depending upon whom is elected as the next leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.