There is a figure in military circles who has attracted much attention, and he is the "director of the Strategic Fooling Bureau" who ridiculed military topics in a humorous way - Zhang Zhaozhong. Netizens jokingly called his comment method "the law of cause and effect**", which was often used as a joke before the facts appeared, but when the facts appeared, everyone felt that the "law of cause and effect**" was so terrifying. Five years ago, a prophecy he made has now been fulfilled, once again demonstrating the power of the "law of cause and effect".
An aircraft carrier of the British Royal Navy named the "Prince of Wales" has become the latest example of Zhang Zhaozhong's prediction. This aircraft carrier had high hopes, but due to a shortage of funds and other problems, it was planned to be decommissioned and mothballed, and resold to other friendly countries. This decision attracted global attention, after all, the aircraft carrier is one of the core workhorses of the British army.
It looks like the combat effectiveness of the aircraft carrier "Prince of Wales" is quite impressive, with a full load displacement of up to 650,000 tons, more than China's "Liaoning" and "Shandong" aircraft carriers. However, this is only theoretical data. Since the delivery of this aircraft carrier, there have been many problems, such as serious water leakage inside the hull, deformation and bending of the transmission shaft, and power outages throughout the ship. After only 8 hours of departure, it broke down due to a faulty propeller shaft, and had no choice but to be towed back to the base by a tugboat.
Even more embarrassingly, even fighters on aircraft carriers have become a big problem. Due to the reduction of British spending year after year, each aircraft carrier is equipped with only 8 F-35B fighters, which is not enough for daily air defense patrols, let alone the full number of 40 F-35Bs. In 2021, the British aircraft carrier group went to the Asia-Pacific waters to show off its force, but it could only pull in US destroyers to escort it.
Zhang Zhaozhong predicted as early as five years ago that Britain could not afford to raise two aircraft carriers, and "five years later, it may consider mothballing or ** one." Now this prophecy has come true, which shows that the "law of cause and effect" should not be underestimated. But the retirement is good news for another country – India. India has always wanted to build a "big navy" with aircraft carriers as the core, and now it is naturally overjoyed to be able to buy an active aircraft carrier, and upgrading to a three-aircraft carrier country can better satisfy India's vanity.
This news is not only a major military event, but also makes people think about the importance of modern national defense. Can every country afford the cost of an arms race? Is every military plan rational and feasible? These are questions worth pondering.
The law of cause and effect** is not only Zhang Zhaozhong's prophecy, but also a realistic awakening. Perhaps, we need more people like Zhang Zhaozhong to dare to speak out and point out problems, so that we can face the reality of national defense more soberly.