Previously, the Secretary of the Navy proposed a plan for the formation of the First Fleet, and his plan was approved by the US authorities. Kenneth Braithwaite believes: “We cannot rely solely on the Seventh Fleet. The United States needs new allies, such as India and Singapore. The new fleet will play an important role when the United States is attacked.” In the Pacific region, the United States has two fleets. They are the Third Fleet and the Seventh Fleet. The Third Fleet is responsible for protecting homeland security, and the Seventh Fleet is responsible for handling Asia-Pacific issues. Years ago, the US Seventh Fleet was definitely a "monster" for Asian countries, but now the Pentagon suddenly discovered that the strength of the Seventh Fleet is still too weak.
is headquartered in Yokosuka and Sasebo’s Seventh Fleet, with about 60 warships of various types, 5-6 attack submarines and 1 nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Due to the large jurisdiction of the Seventh Fleet, the Pentagon has repeatedly proposed to expand the Seventh Fleet, but their proposal was not approved by Congress. Now, Braithwaite proposed a plan to establish the First Fleet, and the plan was immediately approved by the US authorities. Experts believe that the timing of Braithwaite’s proposal is very good, because Trump is trying to expand his "policy heritage".
Russian experts believe that if the US Navy wants the First Fleet to play a role in the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the same time, it must allow its fleet to have an important strategic fulcrum in the Strait of Malacca. The United States is likely to choose this fulcrum in Singapore. However, with the signing of RCEP, Singapore has a high probability of not wanting to offend the mainland, so the United States choosing to cooperate with Singapore may not necessarily succeed. Regarding the choice of naval bases, the United States is very likely to set up bases in Australia. Although US-India relations have been strengthening recently, the Indian authorities will not tolerate the presence of US troops on their own land. As for Australia, they very much hope that the United States will be able to station troops in their own territory. In particular, the United States will set up the First Fleet base in Australia. The Australian authorities will definitely welcome it with their hands.
From a comprehensive perspective, the formation of the first fleet will take 5-10 years. If the fleet is deployed, it will take about 6 years. If a new fleet is to be established, the United States will take at least 8-10 years. Some experts in Japan and Australia are not optimistic about the plan of the United States to form the First Fleet. They believe that the United States has missed the best time to form the First Fleet, and it is of little significance to establish the First Fleet.