China's construction of its third aircraft carrier validates the U.S. Navy's plans to builds more carriers of its own, Adm. Christopher Grady said.
Grady, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, responded to photographic evidence published this week that the building of China's newest aircraft carrier is proceeding in a shipyard near Shanghai.
"Good on 'em. It makes the argument that carriers are important," Adm. Grady said on Thursday during a symposium of the American Society of Naval Engineers. "We have them. They want them and they're building them."
"To me that makes all the sense. They're a maritime power and they understand the great value that comes from carrier aviation and how that can shape the international environment. It's taken us over 100 years to get that right.
"We've got a huge lead and one that will continue to expand into the future. Go ahead and build that big ship, but to build the ecosystem that is naval aviation that brings that ship to life -- that's going to take a lot of hard work and time," Grady said.
Grady's comments came after satellite photos were released by the non-governmental Center for Strategic and International Studies showing sections of an aircraft carrier under assembly.
One of China's currently operating carriers, the Liaoning, is a converted Soviet-era warship, and the other, the Shandong, commissioned in 2019, is similarly outmoded.
The carrier under construction would be China's first with modern technology, and is likely to be larger than the previous carriers, with a catapult launch system and accommodations for more aircraft with heavier weapons.
The Integrated Naval Force Structure Assessment, a product of the U.S. Navy and the Defense Department, is expected to be released within weeks, and will outline the future of the U.S. carrier fleet.
"As part of that future force structure, carriers will remain central to what we do," Grady said at the symposium.
Related Links
Naval Warfare in the 21st Century
| Thanks for being here; We need your help. The SpaceDaily news network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution. |
||
| SpaceDaily Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal |
 |
SpaceDaily Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only |
NATO opens new Atlantic Command at Norfolk, Va.
Washington DC (UPI) Sep 17, 2020
NATO's new Atlantic Command, Joint Force Command Norfolk, was declared operational at a ribbon-cutting ceremony in Norfolk, Va., Thursday. The new command was established to protect sea lanes between Europe and North America and is the first NATO headquarters dedicated to the Atlantic since 2003, according to NATO officials. The new command will provide command arrangements for allied forces, maintain situational awareness, conduct exercises and draw up operational plans for areas from t ... read more
from Military Space News, Nuclear Weapons, Missile Defense https://ift.tt/2RJXz61
via space News
No comments: