While the situation between Russia and Ukraine and the Middle East has not yet been resolved, the United States has paid special attention to the Asia-Pacific region, where no war has occurred, and has even not hesitated to deploy valuable aircraft carrier strike groups to the Asia-Pacific region.
According to Phoenix, the United States plans to strengthen its military strength in the Asia-Pacific region this year, and on the basis of the USS Reagan, USS Roosevelt, and USS Carl Vinson, it will mobilize the USS Lincoln and USS Washington to the Asia-Pacific region. In a short period of time, the number of US aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region will reach an unprecedented 5.
You must know that although the United States has 11 nuclear aircraft carriers, under the global strategic pattern, there are only about 5 aircraft carriers on duty at the same time.
It can be seen that the strategic center of gravity of the United States is still the Asia-Pacific region
The Asia-Pacific region has become one of the key areas that the US military is paying the most attention to. As the regional security situation continues to change, the US military will undoubtedly increase its military investment in the region. The concentrated deployment of five aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region undoubtedly demonstrates the great importance and determination of the five aircraft carriers to the security environment in the region.
After the news broke, the US "National Interest" hyped that "the US Navy will soon deploy five aircraft carriers in China's backyard."
According to a report by Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, analysts believe that the US move is aimed at significantly strengthening its naval power in the Asia-Pacific region. Such actions send a clear signal to the world, and especially to its ally and rival China, that the United States is not abated in the Indo-Pacific despite tensions in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Zhang Junshe, an expert on Chinese affairs, pointed out that it is very rare for the US military to deploy five aircraft carriers in the same area at the same time. Even in the Gulf War, when the US military launched the "Desert Storm" operation against Iraq, it only mobilized six aircraft carriers to participate in the operation. This speaks volumes about the anomalies of this deployment.
At the same time, Zhang Junshe pointed out that this is not a normal deployment of the United States. In fact, these carriers may appear simultaneously in the western Pacific Ocean only for a short period of time, and they will be scattered in the sea, thousands of kilometers apart, performing different tasks. Some of these carriers may simply be "passing through" the area, while others may be there to take over the tasks of the previous ones, such as the USS Washington, which came to replace the USS Reagan, rather than a real strategic deployment.
Although this move is more symbolic than practical, it can also be seen that the United States still places the Asia-Pacific region in a strategic priority position, and even if it is bluffing, it is unwilling to waste every opportunity to show off its military might in an attempt to cheer up its Asia-Pacific allies in this way.
However, this approach does not scare China
In the past, the PLA Navy was still in the period of strength accumulation and growth, and every time the US aircraft carrier entered the Asia-Pacific region, it would attract close attention at home, but this time the five US aircraft carriers gathered in the Asia-Pacific region, and it was difficult to cause any waves in the country.
And the "5 aircraft carriers deployed in the Asia-Pacific region" rendered by the US media this time is also full of moisture. According to the U.S. Naval Institute**, the USS Carl Vinson is currently near Hawaii and is about to return to the continental United States, where it is likely to be replaced by the USS Lincoln.
The situation is similar with the "Reagan", which is in Japan, because it has not been seen for a long time due to the high-intensity duty some time ago, and will be replaced by the "Washington".
In other words, when the "Carl Vinson" and "Reagan" leave, there will still be three US aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region, not five at all, and the so-called "five aircraft carriers deployed in the Asia-Pacific region" are just punch-card photos and show off their strength to the allies before leaving.
Looking back over the past few years, this kind of "flexing muscles" behavior of US aircraft carriers is not uncommon in China's neighborhood, and its political and military intentions are obvious. However, with the steady improvement of China's power and the in-depth interpretation of U.S. intentions by other countries in the region, the actual effect and influence of such actions by the U.S. military are gradually weakening.
In the face of military pressure from the United States, China has shown sufficient calmness and restraint, and at the same time, it is also maintaining regional peace and stability by developing its own military capabilities and strengthening cooperation with its neighbors.
Therefore, the idea of the US Navy trying to "deter China" through this short-lived group photo of multiple aircraft carrier formations is obviously too simplistic. The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is no longer the force that was easily formalized and deterred in the past. The growth of the Chinese Navy's strength has given it sufficient confidence and capability to meet a variety of challenges, including in the face of the U.S. Navy's strategy and deployment.
In other words, this display of military power by the United States has gradually lost its original deterrent effect in the current international environment and geopolitical background. The Chinese Navy has the capability to be in line with the world's advanced level not only in terms of quantity, but also in terms of quality and strategic thinking.