In recent times, the United States has frequently launched military provocations against China in the Indo-Pacific region. In addition to the massive three-carrier military exercise held by the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Air Force has also conducted joint flight training with and the Japan Air Self-Defense Force on multiple occasions, and dispatched reconnaissance aircraft to conduct raids on my country's southeastern coastal areas and the Taiwan Strait area. and reconnaissance.
In the face of military provocations from the United States, we have also launched frequent counterattacks during this period. The Navy's 102 "Lhasa" ship formation not only launched a circumnavigation of the Japanese mainland, but also merged with the two subsequent ocean-going fleets that crossed the first island chain and the Navy and Air Force's H-6 mixed fleet in the Western Pacific to launch a three-dimensional sea and air joint military exercises.
Under this circumstance, the US military has also begun to feel its military shortcomings in the Indo-Pacific region, that is, the US military's overall conventional combat capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region are not strong. Especially the fifth-generation stealth fighter jets of the US military, although they often appear in the Indo-Pacific region, they basically stay for a short period of time. Except for the Japanese Iwakuni base and the Kadena base, the fifth-generation stealth fighter jets of the US military are stationed there, which can provide the fastest support. The fifth-generation aircraft of the US military in the Asia-Pacific are the US military's fifth-generation aircraft fleets stationed in , Alaska, and Hawaii. Of course, the distance is also longer, and it takes longer to come to join the battle.
U.S. F-35B stationed at the Iwakuni base.
Under this situation, some people within the U.S. military began to propose that the U.S. military’s fifth-generation stealth fighter jets be “forward deployed” to suppress China. According to a report by the US "Defence One", Admiral John Aquilino, commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command, will make a public statement to the media. In order to cope with the pressure from China in terms of conventional military power, the US military should consider permanently deploying fifth-generation stealth fighter jets in Guam.
Of course, General John Aquilino’s suggestions are in great conflict with the US military’s current Indo-Pacific military strategy. The main reason why the US military has not regularly deployed fifth-generation stealth fighters in Guam before is because the Guam military base is within the attack range of long-range missiles such as China's DF-26. F-35 stealth fighter is okay, the quantity is relatively sufficient. However, there are only more than 180 F-22 stealth fighter , and the production line is still closed. It is a precious military asset with only one lost in battle. And this is the first combat effectiveness shortcoming of the US military in Guam.
US military F-22
briefly stopped in Guam. Therefore, General John Aquilino needs to comprehensively monitor Guam before recommending that fifth-generation stealth fighters such as F-22 and F-35 be permanently deployed at the Guam military base. The defense system is strengthened. In the past four years, the primary funds of the Guam military base have basically been invested in the construction of an integrated missile defense system. At present, in addition to the "Patriot" air defense and anti-missile system deployed on Guam, the "THAAD" system is also deployed. However, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency expressed its hope to establish an integrated missile defense command and control center on the island to further strengthen Guam’s missile defense capabilities.
Gen. John Aquilino said: "The Chinese military's rocket force is clearly developing sustained advanced capabilities and longer ranges. Guam faces a 360-degree threat, so our defense capabilities and the ability to operate from there Capability is absolutely crucial."
To put it bluntly, General John Aquilino is still worried that the US military's fifth-generation stealth fleet will be severely damaged by Chinese missiles at the Guam military base. But no matter how bad the Guam military base is, it will be safer than , the US military base in Japan, , and the US military base in South Korea. Without changing the distance between Guam's military bases and China, by strengthening Guam's missile defense capabilities, Guam will have the ability to permanently deploy a fleet of fifth-generation aircraft.
Of course, this is not just the idea of General John Aquilino himself. In fact, the US military generally thinks the same way. In addition to strengthening the anti-missile attack capabilities of the Guam military base, the US military is also expanding the Tinian Airport.Although the overall fighter throughput of Tinian Airport after expansion is not as good as Guam's Anderson Airport, the US military hopes that Tinian Airport can deploy 14 large aerial tankers so that it can accommodate the fifth-generation US military aircraft deployed at the Guam military base. Fight on the first island chain and stay as long as possible.
The expanding Tinian Airport
In actual combat situations, the F-22 stealth fighter will try to avoid using auxiliary fuel tank . In this case, the F-22 can only rely on the fuel in eight internal auxiliary fuel tanks for combat. Its shortest mission envelope is 852 kilometers, and its combat radius under normal circumstances is about 1,093 kilometers. The F-35A stealth fighter equipped by the U.S. Air Force has a combat radius of about 1,100 kilometers without using auxiliary fuel tanks.
The straight-line distance between the Guam military base and mainland China is about 3,000 kilometers, which means that whether it is dispersed to other military airports of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region, or returns to the Guam military base after completing the attack, deployment The US military's stealth aircraft fleet in Guam is unable to separate from aerial tankers to launch large-scale military operations. And this is the second combat effectiveness shortcoming of the US military in Guam..
The third combat effectiveness shortcoming of the Guam military base, and also the biggest combat effectiveness shortcoming, is that in the face of Chinese attacks, the US military in Guam can only defend in most cases and has no way to attack.. The significance of China's attack on the military base in Guam and the attack on the Chinese mainland by the US military in Guam are completely different. The latter means that it is likely to provoke a "general war" and lead to an out-of-control military conflict.
Under this circumstance, the US military in Guam has actually fallen into a vicious circle of competing with mainland China for its war potential. No matter how highly militarized Guam is, it cannot compare with mainland China. Therefore, I would say that this third combat effectiveness shortcoming is the biggest combat effectiveness shortcoming of the US military in Guam.
In fact, I have written a lot about the comparative analysis of the military strength of China and the United States in the Indo-Pacific. Compared with the analysis of individual weapons and equipment, I prefer to analyze the overall combat system, combat methods and combat potential of both sides. There is no reason, because the latter is the normal state of war.
Looking back at the history of human wars over the past nearly one hundred years, you will find that in most cases, except for nuclear weapons , which are big killers, the impact of a single piece of weaponry on the overall war situation is limited. In the late period of World War II , the U.S. military's B-29s were able to come and go freely over Japan. The main reason was that Japan's overall air defense potential had been exhausted and it had lost its systematic local air defense defense capabilities.
Therefore, regarding the Guam issue, we should not stop thinking about how to use missiles such as DF-26, or use to bomb -6 to "bomb Guam". Effectively blocking and blocking Guam's sea and air channels can also achieve our combat objectives, and the overall cost-effectiveness may be even higher.
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