Thursday, March 2, 2017

The U.S. Navy's Third Fleet Is Making Its Presence Felt In The South China Sea

In this file photo, ships and submarines participating in the U.S. 3rd Fleet-coordinated Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise sail in formation in the waters around the Hawaiian islands, July 27, 2012. (U.S. Navy photo by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Keith Devinney)

San Diego Union Tribune: Navy's Third Fleet splashes through the South China Sea

When the Navy’s supercarrier Carl Vinson slipped out of San Diego nearly two months ago and steamed toward Hawaii, it marked the first time since World War II that the Third Fleet prowled the Pacific Ocean under its own command.

Now sharing the eastern stretches of the Pacific with the Navy’s Japan-based Seventh Fleet, Carrier Strike Group One was bisecting the South China Sea Thursday morning, steaming between the Philippines and China.

And so far the “Third Fleet Forward” experiment is going great, according to the group’s commander at sea, Rear Adm. James Kilby.

“The Third Fleet Forward concept is working really well,” said Kilby during a telephone interview with The San Diego Union-Tribune, the whoosh of jets catapulting off the Vinson’s flight deck above him.

Read more ....

Update: US Navy’s Third Fleet Sends a Message in the South China Sea (Sputnik)

WNU Editor: Some are wondering if the U.S. Navy is being outmanoeuvred by the Chinese Navy .... Is Beijing outflanking the United States in the South China Sea? (Peter Apps, Reuters). More here .... Beijing Outmaneuvering US Navy in South China Sea (Sputnik)

4 comments:

James said...

China in the long run has an advantage of being there, while their big variable is how much time do they have domestically to pursue these plans.

B.Poster said...

I would say they have as much time as they want. The US is deeply in debt, its infrastructure is crumbling, it's military is badly worn down and depleted from numerous and fruitless operations in who knows how many places, simply treated the numerous wounded and sick military personnel is going to be an enormous cost that we will we need to bear and have to bear, and the American people's tolerance for this sort of thing is almost gone.

As such, America will have to withdraw it's forces from the South China Sea and elsewhere sooner rather than later. The only question is will this be an orderly rearrangement or a disorderly one. Additionally, America is heavily dependent upon "made in China" and the trade agreements need to be renegotiated. Cooperation with the Chinese in this area is going to be most helpful.

By continuing with a fruitless attempt to challenge China here I fail to see how we are going to get the cooperation from them we are going to need. Perhaps instead of confrontation we might seek to find ways we can add value to them.

Stephen Davenport said...

The Chinese like the Russkies are overrated, always have and always will be, if China and the US get into a shooting war, the US would sink their navy within a week, take it to the bank. Lots of rhetoric and wishful thinking going on, China are like Chihuahuas, constantly yapping, they would get their asses kicked and they know it. Never underestimate the US military's capabilities. It would be a mistake to do so.

Andrew Jackson said...

I agree with Mr.D