The warships of the U.S. Navy have come to the Taiwan Strait again. This time they are two Ticonderoga-class cruisers that were in service in the 1980s. The U.S. military wants to use the warships to cross the strait to demonstrate to China and show its military power in the region. exist. However, the USS Ronald Reagan has lost face before, so what can we do with two old cruisers that have been in service for more than 30 years?
[Two Ticonderoga-class cruisers are operating around the Taiwan Strait]
CNN announced the action of two U.S. Navy warships passing through the Taiwan Strait in a very high-profile manner, and noted in the news title, "This is since Pelosi "The first pass since the trip", the reason why I emphasize this is because the US Navy has done this type of small actions many times.
The cruisers "Antietam" and "Chance Roseville" that came this time both had a history of crossing the Taiwan Strait. The "Antietam" crossed the Taiwan Strait three times in October 2018, July 2019 and September 2019, counting this time as the fourth time; the "Chance Roseville" crossed the Taiwan Strait in November 2019 and 2020 In February of this year, we crossed the Taiwan Strait twice, and this is the third time.
[The "Chance Roseville" returned to East China Sea activities after crossing the Taiwan Strait]
What is interesting is that these two cruisers are affiliated with the 5th Aircraft Carrier Strike Group of the U.S. Navy's Seventh Fleet, and this aircraft carrier strike group's " "Big Brother" is the aircraft carrier "Reagan". The "Reagan" had previously wandered in the waters near Taiwan for a long time during the Taiwan Strait crisis . It once escorted the special planes of Pelosi and others. However, under the deterrence of the People's Liberation Army, the "Reagan" twice Turning northward, stopping and going in the waters around Japan, the track highlighted a sign of hesitation and hesitation.
The "Reagan" left port for deployment in March this year. By August, it was approaching the end of the deployment cycle, so it couldn't bear it and returned to Hong Kong first. The responsibility of recovering the situation fell to the two "personal guards", the "Antietam" and the "Chance Rossville". Therefore, this time the two ships took the opportunity to cross the Taiwan Strait, not only because the US military wanted to demonstrate to the People's Liberation Army, but also because the Seventh Fleet wanted to make up for the previous actions of the "Reagan" aircraft carrier, for fear of being looked down upon by the People's Liberation Army.
[Trail map of the USS Ronald Reagan]
The two cruisers look quite big and their strength is not bad. Is there a threat when crossing the Taiwan Strait? The answer is no. The USS Antietam and the USS Chancellorsville both belong to the Ticonderoga class, the only current cruiser in the United States. One was commissioned in 1987 and the other was commissioned in 1989. Both are veterans of the Cold War for more than 30 years. Ship.
The Ticonderoga-class cruiser is the pioneer of the Aegis ship . From the 1990s to the beginning of this century, it was the pinnacle of the surface ship combat capability except the aircraft carrier . Both the Antietam and Chancellorsville have been upgraded to have the interception capabilities of mid-stage anti-missile missiles . The Standard-3A anti-missile interceptors they carry can theoretically intercept short- and medium-range ballistic missiles in the ocean.
However, although the Ticonderoga-class cruiser has a distinguished family background and outstanding military achievements, it has actually become a negative asset of the US Navy. These old cruisers built in the 1990s were once planned to be decommissioned in 2028. After Congress intervened, the retirement plan was forced to be postponed.
[Cruiser USS Antietam]
Elaine Luria, Vice Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, strives to protect these cruisers because she has served in the Navy for 20 years and will at least enter politics after retiring as an officer. Served as deputy captain on the cruiser "Anzio". Luria only joined the army in the 1990s and did not catch up with the Cold War, so he was very determined to re-engage these cruisers, which were born to fight against the Soviet Navy, into fighting against the Chinese Navy.
Even if maintained by Cold War enthusiasts like Luria, most Ticonderoga-class cruisers will still be gradually retired within the next 10 years. The USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville will also be decommissioned in 2024 and 2026 respectively. In other words, these two cruisers will not be able to bounce around for a few more years.
[Elaine Luria has a deep relationship with the US military, especially the Navy]
This time the USS Antietam and USS Chancellorsville came to cause trouble, the People's Liberation Army certainly did not miss the opportunity to train. In its response, the Eastern Theater Command made it clear that it had carried out full tracking and vigilance, and had mastered the whereabouts of the two ships. The entire Taiwan Strait was within the fire coverage of the Eastern Theater Command, and there were no actual combat drills and combat readiness patrols around the Taiwan Strait. Once parked, US cruisers can be monitored from the sea and air.
With the capabilities of the Eastern Theater Command, it is no problem to deal with just two cruisers. No matter how powerful the anti-missile systems carried by the USS Antietam and Chancellorsville are, they cannot intercept the ballistic missiles launched at close range or the saturation strike anti-ship missiles . What's more, the People's Liberation Army also has hypersonic weapons such as the DF-17. The United States has just begun to develop interception systems for hypersonic weapons.
[Standard-3 missiles cannot intercept hypersonic weapons]
Two cruisers crossed the Taiwan Strait. Apart from provoking China, they cannot change anything. Such actions by the United States can only prove time and again that they are the destroyers of peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait. Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley also proudly said that the relationship between the Chinese and American militaries is the ballast stone of Sino-US relations. The U.S. military frequently uses such despicable methods to undermine the foundation of mutual trust between China and the United States. It has the nerve to claim that Ballast stone? Mili and some American politicians should reflect on whether they should do something to maintain Sino-US relations.
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