U.S. Navy Plans Major Western Pacific Exercises With 4 Aircraft Carriers

[Ryan Ruck]

U.S. Navy Plans Major Western Pacific Exercises With 4 Aircraft Carriers

Following the directions of a recently released defense review to shift its focus westward, the Navy plans to hold major exercises involving four aircraft carriers in the Pacific this summer, the Pacific Fleet's commander said yesterday.

It has been at least a decade since four carriers have operated simultaneously in the Pacific, Adm. Gary Roughead, the commander, told an Asian Society luncheon.

One carrier slated for the exercises is the San Diego-based Ronald Reagan. A second will come from the Atlantic Fleet, marking the first time since the Vietnam War that an East Coast carrier will operate in the western Pacific, said Navy Capt. Matt Brown.

The hospital ship Mercy, based in San Diego, also will deploy to the western Pacific this summer. It's expected to practice providing humanitarian assistance on the scale seen after the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami in South Asia, Roughead said.

Brown said the exercises will start in June with the Reagan strike group, the Japan-based Kitty Hawk strike group and another Pacific-based carrier. A carrier strike group has at least three warships, an attack submarine and a support ship.

In July, at least two U.S. carrier groups will participate in multinational naval maneuvers that are held near the Hawaiian Islands every two years. Ships from Australia, Chile, Japan, South Korea, Peru and perhaps other countries will take part, Brown said.

The summer's activities will conclude with a western Pacific exercise in August, with the Atlantic Fleet carrier joining in, he said.

Roughead said the increase in activity in the Pacific is in keeping with goals outlined in the Quadrennial Defense Review. The report, issued every four years by the Pentagon, was released officially Feb. 6.

The review said the Navy “will have greater presence in the Pacific Ocean, consistent with the global shift of trade and transport.”

Although the report noted that “China has the greatest potential to compete militarily with the United States,” Roughead said he did not consider China a threat.

In assessing possible dangers, he explained, military planners look at a nation's capabilities and intent.

“There is no question” that the Chinese Navy is modernizing and expanding, but its intent “is more of a mystery,” Roughead said.

Okay, judging from this piece, Admiral Roughead needs to have his commission and job position removed ASAP.

Anyone who thinks that China is not a threat yet that their feverish modernization and expansion of their navy is a mystery, is a complete buffoon and should be let nowhere near a position of power. Perhaps "Admiral" Roughead needs to go scrape barnacles or swab decks instead (if he could be trusted to even do that!).

[Sean Osborne]

This is nothing more than atypical media over-exaggeration, grandstanding and complete lack of historical context.




We ran the exact same exercise last year between June and August.

In fact, this is another "surge deployment", a repeat of what was done last year when the USN globally surge deployed ALL available US carriers and about 80% of the entire fleet between June and August 2005. The only carriers not deployed were the two or three in dry dock or overhaul. This is also an integral part of JASEX06 - Joint Air and Sea Exercise which is in its 5th year of execution.

We can expect to see "surge deployments" of this type from now on as they are an integral part of the US Navy FRP (Fleet Response Plan). The overall character of future US naval capabilities, size and operations was made public in the January 2006 QDR (Quadrennial Defense Review).

Here are the key relevant excerpts:


QUOTE

Joint Maritime Capabilities

Vision

The fleet will have greater presence in the Pacific Ocean, consistent with the global shift of trade and transport. Accordingly, the Navy plans to adjust its force posture and basing to provide at least six operationally available and sustainable carriers and 60% of its submarines in the Pacific to support engagement, presence, and deterrence.

Progress to Date

Applying distributed operating concepts, the Navy increased the number of available independent strike groups from 19 to 36. The Fleet Response Plan (FRP) modified the Navy's tiered readiness posture to increase the amount of time a ship or other naval unit is fully ready to deploy. The FRP produces adaptable force packages and sustains higher readiness throughout a unit's operational cycle, decreasing the Fleet's down time and enabling immediate deployment of six of the Navy's eleven carrier strike groups, with the addition of two more within 90 days. Rotational crewing has further increased the operational availability of forces by up to 33%.

In 2003, the Navy began converting four of the oldest nuclear ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs) to guided missile and special operations platforms. The four submarines will re-enter service by September 2007. Modifications will allow embarked Special Operations Force (SOF) personnel to penetrate denied areas to locate high-value individuals, designate targets for precision strike, or conduct direct action missions against WMD facilities. Each submarine will also carry more 150 Tomahawk cruise missiles.



QDR Decisions

To achieve the future joint maritime force characteristics and build on progress to date, the Department will:

• Build a larger fleet that includes 11 Carrier Strike Groups, balance the need to transform and recapitalize the fleet, improve affordability, and provide stability for the shipbuilding industry.
• Accelerate procurement of Littoral Combat Ships to provide power projection capabilities in littoral waters.
• Procure the first eight ships of the Maritime Pre-Position Force (Future) to improve the Department's ability to operate in restricted access environments.
• Provide a Navy riverine capability for river patrol, interdiction, and tactical troop movement on inland waterways.
• Build partner capacity to improve global maritime security by reinvigorating the Navy Foreign Area Officer program and procuring Disaster Relief Command and Control fly-away communication support capabilities.
• Return to a steady-state production rate of two attack submarines per year not later than 2012 while achieving an average per-hull procurement cost objective of $2.0 billion.

Yes, the bottom line of this effort can be summed in two words: Red China.