According to the monitoring of a think tank in Beijing, there is currently only one US aircraft carrier deployed in the western Pacific, instead of five as claimed by several **.
According to the 21st lead of the "Global Times", in the past week, the US "Newsweek", "The National Interest", and several other foreign media have reported that the United States will have five aircraft carriers deployed in the western Pacific "at China's doorstep".
The report said that the United States deployed nearly half of its aircraft carriers at China's doorstep amid tense relations with China, in addition to deterring North Korea, but also to show strength to China.
The five carriers include the USS Lincoln, which departed from its home port in San Diego on Feb. 5, the USS Carl Vinson, near Hawaii, the USS Roosevelt, which docked on Feb. 6, the USS Reagan, which docked at Yokosuka, Japan, and the USS Washington, which is scheduled to replace Reagan in the coming months.
However, the South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness Program, a think tank affiliated with Peking University, pointed out in a Sina Weibo post on February 20 that the fact is that the only U.S. aircraft carrier deployed in the relevant waters of the western Pacific is the "Roosevelt", whether it is now or for some time to come.
The South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness Program (CSA) pointed out that the USS Carl Vinson left Pearl Harbor on the 19th, ended its deployment in the western Pacific, and was on its way back to the U.S. mainland.
The "Reagan" is currently undergoing maintenance in Yokosuka, and the "Lincoln" has returned to San Diego on the 16th.
On the other hand, the Fleet Tracking Report published by the News of the United States Naval Research Association on the 19th shows that the "Washington" is sailing in the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast of the continental United States.
In addition, the South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness Program says that the only actual U.S. deployment in the western Pacific is the USS Roosevelt, which is on a mission in the Philippine Sea after leaving on Feb. 14.
The South China Sea Strategic Situational Awareness Program" pointed out in the post that this means that the United States has deployed five aircraft carriers in the western Pacific Ocean, which is nothing more than unprofessional hype.
And a Beijing military expert who requested anonymity pointed out on the 21st that according to the general pattern of aircraft carrier deployment, about 1 3 time is spent on training, 1 3 time is spent on maintenance, and only another 1 3 time is spent on deployment.
The expert said that with the outbreak of conflicts elsewhere in the world, the United States will also deploy aircraft carriers in relevant waters, so it is highly unlikely that as many as five aircraft carriers will be deployed in the western Pacific without any consequences.
At the same time, the U.S. shipbuilding industry is also in decline, resulting in longer maintenance times for aircraft carriers.
Zhang Junshe, an expert on Chinese affairs, said that it is very rare for the United States to deploy five aircraft carriers in the same sea area at the same time, and in this case, the United States did not really deploy five aircraft carriers in the western Pacific.
The reality, he said, is that the United States is planning to deploy three aircraft carriers in the western Pacific on a regular basis, and this reflects its strategic focus in the relevant waters.