Gary Anderson
At a time when the incoming administration wants to position itself to challenge China's growing strengths, namely its rapidly expanding naval fleet, it is curious that the Navy continues to decommission perfectly good warships.
The Navy has been rapidly decommissioning a variety of ships such as the failed littoral combat ship, but more troubling is the loss of needed amphibious ships and needlessly retiring the capable and vital class of cruisers.
An egregious example is the replacement of the Ticonderoga-class cruisers with the new Arleigh Burke III destroyers. Why eliminate an existing capability only for a potential future capability whilst China’s rapidly rising fleet threat poses its most potent threat just as Xi Jinping plans to unify China with Taiwan by force if necessary.
The Navy claims that upgrading the Ticonderoga class would be too expensive while many critics claim that middle aged admirals are addicted to the "new ship smell" much like their civilian counterparts buying expensive sports cars as a salve to cure mid-life crises.
I am among those in the military reform movement who suspect a darker motive, although all three may be in play.
No comments:
Post a Comment