The U.S. Navy, as the world's most powerful maritime armed force, is famous for its huge 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carriers. These giant ships are often used in a global show of force, and for some countries unhappy with the arbitrariness of the United States, they can only endure in silence. However, a series of recent events seem to indicate that the US Navy may have encountered some "hard stubble" in the South China Sea.
According to open source information, the US Navy's aircraft carrier Carl Vinson replaced the overwhelmed USS Reagan aircraft carrier in the middle of this month and entered the Asia-Pacific region to launch a so-called "strategic deterrence" operation. Soon after, the aircraft carrier entered the waters of the South China Sea with a group of escort ships to show off its force and at the same time provide support to "small partners", including the Philippines. However, as usual, shortly after the USS Carl Vinson entered the South China Sea late this month, the US Navy's Seventh Fleet announced that it had officially dismissed Lieutenant Commander William Coulter, commander of the aircraft's electronic warfare fighter unit.
In general, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carriers carry about 6 of the most advanced EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft in service with the US military. And Lieutenant Colonel William Coulter was the commander of the 136th Electronic Warfare Squadron aboard the USS Carl Vinson. His dismissal from his post has attracted great attention from the outside world, especially considering that this electronic warfare squadron is considered the main command of the EA-18G Growler electronic warfare aircraft with advanced electronic jamming equipment.
Why was the commander of such a powerful electronic warfare unit dismissed?It is widely believed that it is likely that this electronic warfare squadron suffered a defeat in a certain encounter. There is no doubt that the US aircraft carrier is flexing its muscles in the South China Sea, and the squadron will not sit idly by. Although China and the United States remain at peace, one of China's best countermeasures is to use electronic warfare aircraft to suppress them electromagnetically.
The J-16D electronic warfare fighters currently in service in our army are very advanced in performance and carry all kinds of advanced airborne electronic equipment, which can effectively jam and reconnoiter the enemy's radar, communications, and navigation systems, and disrupt the enemy's chain of command. Therefore, the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel William Kurt may have been due to the fact that the electronic warfare squadron under his command lost in electronic countermeasures.
Once our army's J-16D electronic warfare fighters have obtained the "electromagnetic supremacy" in the area, our army's powerful H-6 bombers can make a big sortie and carry powerful anti-ship missiles to strike at US aircraft carriers. Such tactics are almost "incomprehensible" for the US Navy at the current stage. The U.S. Navy has publicly stated that Lieutenant Colonel William Coulter was dismissed because of his "lack of confidence," but this is clearly a pretext.
From the ambiguous statements of the Americans, we can reasonably infer that this time the US Navy may have suffered significant losses. Once the US electronic warfare fighter loses in electronic countermeasures, the entire aircraft carrier formation will be exposed to firepower, which makes the aircraft carrier directly at risk of being "sunk". This is undoubtedly unacceptable to the US Navy, and perhaps this is the main reason for the dismissal of Lieutenant Colonel William Coulter.
To sum up, even a powerful aircraft carrier of the United States cannot escape the Asia-Pacific region, and it has encountered a strong adversary in the South China Sea. This incident shows that the squadron's capabilities in electronic warfare are attracting more and more international attention, and it also shows the world that the US Navy is not invincible. Gone may be the days when US aircraft carriers acted recklessly in the Asia-Pacific region.