“So how far was the Cowpens from the Liaoning? I can’t tell from the article. How close would we let a Chinese cruiser get to one of our aircraft carriers? “
Good question. Carriers are the most important ships in any navy. You don’t let any credible threat get close to one before shooting.
That's wrong. In peacetime, in international waters, ships are allowed to go where they please. That's the source of much of the naval jockeying during the Cold War - both sides were well within their rights. It was psychological gamesmanship. Neither side's officers were cleared to open fire (and would have faced sanctions if they had).
It should be interesting to find out if China's military officers have been given the discretion handed over the Imperial Japan's officers in the run-up to the Second Sino-Japanese War. Ultimately, the Chinese government may have handed control over the decision to go to war to a bunch of junior officers, in hopes of low-cost territorial gains.
This is too good to pass up:
Didn't a ChiCom sub surface in the middle of a carrier group recently?