Road to 350: What Does the US Navy Do Anyway?

[Griz882]

As has already been noted both South Korea and Taiwan have limited power projection capabilities…

I imagine that in a war with China power projection is less important than “holding the line” for the countries noted above. If China can’t advance beyond the Japan/Philippines/New Guinea/Australia arc they can not win. Well…that assumes we are smart enough not to put boots on the ground in Mainland China until after the ceasefires are signed.

 

[Hair Warrior]

I imagine that in a war with China power projection is less important than “holding the line” for the countries noted above. If China can’t advance beyond the Japan/Philippines/New Guinea/Australia arc they can not win. Well…that assumes we are smart enough not to put boots on the ground in Mainland China until after the ceasefires are signed.

It’s entirely possible China will try to take only Taiwan (while keeping other countries out of the conflict), hold there/ consolidate, wait 10-40 years while getting stronger, take something else (while keeping other yadda yadda), rinse, repeat. If they are savvy they will make their gains slow and localized while preventing the int’l community from coalescing against them quickly enough to reverse the action. They’ve pretty much done this with Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Spratlys/SCS. Any “freedom fighters” get crushed or labeled terrorists. Just get a grip on the area and keep other state powers from stopping them in any meaningful way, then using other instruments of state control to slowly mold/suppress the surviving peoples/culture to the “Han Chinese” way of doing things under the thumb of the regime. Then, by waiting a few decades, the rest of the world has forgotten or given up on “saving” that part of the world and the generation has turned over once or twice (Tibet is an example).

 

[Gatordev]

Finally, there is India due to both its strategic location between China and Persian Gulf oil as well as its hostility and willingness to exchange blows with China.

A small point of order: India is not an ally, but a partner. Something the U.S. has been trying to change but India hasn't been interested in. One of many reasons the U.S. has been very willing to sell more P-8s and -60Rs to the Indians.

That said, be it a partner or an ally, they will be absolutely critical in helping with China when/if the time comes.

 

[Spekkio]

The latest 'Block' also happens to cost about 1/3rd more than the Astute-class and might be a bit bigger than the Aussies want. The Aussies will also want considerable technology transfer and share in the construction and that might help the Brits more than it would us, given their smaller industrial base for building nuke subs.

Block V is meant to replace our SSGNs.

 

[Griz882]

It’s entirely possible China will try to take only Taiwan (while keeping other countries out of the conflict), hold there/ consolidate, wait 10-40 years while getting stronger, take something else (while keeping other yadda yadda), rinse, repeat. If they are savvy they will make their gains slow and localized while preventing the int’l community from coalescing against them quickly enough to reverse the action. They’ve pretty much done this with Tibet, Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Spratlys/SCS. Any “freedom fighters” get crushed or labeled terrorists. Just get a grip on the area and keep other state powers from stopping them in any meaningful way, then using other instruments of state control to slowly mold/suppress the surviving peoples/culture to the “Han Chinese” way of doing things under the thumb of the regime. Then, by waiting a few decades, the rest of the world has forgotten or given up on “saving” that part of the world and the generation has turned over once or twice (Tibet is an example).

I disagree entirely with the Spratlys area. China has claimed a parking spot and everyone parks there anyway. All the others are pretty much interior lines.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Foreign Policy has a couple of good articles on the state of the US Navy and a comparison to China.

Float, Move, and Fight
How the U.S. Navy lost the shipbuilding race.
But perhaps the biggest contrast with China right now is shipbuilding capacity. While China has dozens of big shipyards that can build both warships and big commercial vessels, there are only seven yards in the United States that can build major warships.

Float, Move, and Fight

How the U.S. Navy lost the shipbuilding race.

foreignpolicy.com

Sea Power Makes Great Powers
History reveals a country’s rise and decline are directly related to the heft of its navy. So why is the United States intent on downsizing?

Sea Power Makes Great Powers

History reveals a country’s rise and decline are directly related to the heft of its navy. So why is the United States intent on downsizing?

foreignpolicy.com

 

[Brett327]

Nothing Jerry Hendrix writes is worth your time.

 

[Hair Warrior]

Nothing Jerry Hendrix writes is worth your time.

Tyler Rogoway:

 

[Brett327]

Tyler Rogoway:

Same goes for Tyler, unless you're looking for comic relief. Before you jizz in your shorts, Rogoway didn't write the HAVOC story.

 

[Randy Daytona]

Foreign Policy has a couple of good articles on the state of the US Navy and a comparison to China.

Float, Move, and Fight
How the U.S. Navy lost the shipbuilding race.
But perhaps the biggest contrast with China right now is shipbuilding capacity. While China has dozens of big shipyards that can build both warships and big commercial vessels, there are only seven yards in the United States that can build major warships.

Float, Move, and Fight

How the U.S. Navy lost the shipbuilding race.

foreignpolicy.com

Sea Power Makes Great Powers
History reveals a country’s rise and decline are directly related to the heft of its navy. So why is the United States intent on downsizing?

Sea Power Makes Great Powers

History reveals a country’s rise and decline are directly related to the heft of its navy. So why is the United States intent on downsizing?

foreignpolicy.com

Pags and Flash,
As Foreign Policy decided to not only publish these articles online but also select these 2 articles for print in their magazine, I was curious what you found objectionable.

 

[Brett327]

Jerry Hendrix is, prima facie, objectionable.

 

[Flash]

Pags and Flash,
As Foreign Policy decided to not only publish these articles online but also select these 2 articles for print in their magazine, I was curious what you found objectionable.

When did I object to them? I can't even read but for the first 2 paragraphs.

Though I will have to agree

Jerry Hendrix is, prima facie, objectionable.

 

[Pags]

Pags and Flash,
As Foreign Policy decided to not only publish these articles online but also select these 2 articles for print in their magazine, I was curious what you found objectionable.

I concur with Brett. I don't put much stock in anything I've seen from Hendrix. From the little I could see from this article it looks like it may seem revolutionary if you've never heard of Mahan. And the other article is a rehash of popular sentiment wrt DDG-1000 and LCS.

What do you find relevant about these articles that led you to share them?

 

[ABMD]

Nothing Jerry Hendrix writes is worth your time.

But his brother...he was ahead of his time...Excuse me while I kiss the sky (clearly an aviation fan).

 

[Randy Daytona]

CNO Gilday: ‘We Need a Naval Force of Over 500 Ships’​

By: Sam LaGrone and Mallory Shelbourne
February 18, 2022 8:09 PM

CNO Gilday: ‘We Need a Naval Force of Over 500 Ships’ - USNI News

SAN DIEGO, Calif. – The U.S. Navy needs a fleet of more than 500 ships to meet its commitments to the soon-to-be released National Defense Strategy, Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday said on Friday. “I’ve concluded – consistent with the analysis – that we need a naval force of over 500...

news.usni.org

Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG-111), left, USS America (LHA-6), and Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70), transit the Philippine Sea on Jan. 22, 2022.