Ukraine ping
Developments in Ukraine reverberate far beyond its borders. The Chinese are now reviewing the possibility that their navy’s operations will be more vulnerable to Taiwanese anti-shipping measures than previously thought.
If China is going to seize Taiwan, they’ll have to do it through a blockade.
I have read a lot of speculation here over the years that perhaps such staples of warfare such as aircraft carriers, tanks, and even manned fighter jets might be becoming obsolete.
Tools for jobs. If your target is within 100 nm of your own land-based air, don’t send an aircraft carrier.
We haven’t even gotten to water drones yet.
Interesting verbage:
“UNIFYING BY FORCE”
If you’re gonna copy a navy, you don’t pick Russia’s. Ask all the Russian submariners on the ocean floor.
Thank God that moron is in charge of China.
Not sure I believe this. Wasn’t China building a whole strategy of making the aircraft carriers of the U.S. worthless?
Why would Xi have needed the example of the Moskova to understand the vulnerability of ships in general? Many on FR have been calling ships “targets” for years.
A good article but strikes me as myopic to decide aircraft carriers are going to be destroyed because one destroyer got sunk by missiles.
In a major conflict, many ships are going to be disabled or sunk. China needs to land troops to win so the ability to move those troops and their equipment, under air and naval cover, is paramount.
I think the bigger similarities are that China will risk a lot of losses, possible defeat, and possible engagement of other major powers.
Of course, all this risk is unnecessary. Taiwan and Ukraine are bothering no one and this whole risk of a major war is strictly because Russia and China are totalitarian SOB’s. If they were democracies their people would never green light these wars.
Taiwan is a “dead stone”. Removing it from the board is unnecessary.
Aircraft carriers are for gunboat diplomacy. You sail them only where you have air superiority. Then you bomb some small country.
Looks like the article is behind a paywall, anyone have a different link?
Does the naval future belong to submarines, drones, and hypersonics? Seems like it to me at this point.
Clubs and thrown rocks made humans in warfare obsolete long ago by the logic shown here.
If Xi is looking at anything, he’s looking at the performance of Russia’s conscript soldiers vs his own troops with zero combat experience.
At this point you do have to wonder if Aircraft Carriers aren’t the battleships of the 21st century - ie hugely expensive show ponies that will prove to be outdated in any major power conflict.
I know this, the last warships will be submarines. Anything on the surface will be hugely vulnerable. Are we there yet? Is the answer more smaller ships like frigates and destroyers? (and a willingness to lose a lot of them to accomplish your objectives). That’s what China is betting on.
Or is the answer fewer but much more sophisticated ships with better defenses? That’s what the US Navy is betting on.
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I hope we are also.
We should have stopped making Aircraft Carriers 20 years ago but our politicians are addicted to these mega ship naming game.
Carriers require a group of ships and subs for protection and support. Drones and missiles are the new technology.
Wrong.