Seoul, South Korea
CNN
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As China continues to develop what is already the world’s largest navy, a professor at the US Naval War College has a warning to US military planners: In naval warfare, the larger fleet almost always wins.
Writing in the January issue of the Proceedings of the US Naval Institute, Sam Tangredi says that if history is any lesson, China’s numerical advantage will likely lead to the defeat of the US Navy in any war with China.
Tangredi, the Leidos Chair of Future Warfare Studies at the US Naval War College and a former captain in the US Navy, analyzed 28 naval wars, from the Greco-Persian wars of 500 BC, to the recent conflicts and proxy interventions of the Cold War. He found that in only three cases did superior technology defeat larger numbers.
“All other wars have been won by superior numbers or, when between equal forces, superior strategy or admiralty,” Tangredi wrote. “Often all three qualities work together because operating a large fleet often facilitates more extensive training and is usually an indicator that leaders are concerned about strategic requirements,” Tangredi wrote.
The three outliers – wars of the 11th, 16th and 19th centuries – are probably not familiar to all but the most ardent scholars, but others that show where numbers outnumber technology certainly are.
Take the Napoleonic Wars of the early 1800s, for example.
“French warships were superior in ship design and construction technology, but ultimately it was the sheer number of ships in the Royal Navy that prevented Napoleon from crossing the (English) Channel,” Tangredi wrote.
Pentagon leaders have identified China as the “pace threat” to the US military. But fleet size numbers show that the US military cannot keep up with China’s naval growth.
The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surpassed the US Navy in fleet size around 2020 and now has about 340 warships, according to the Pentagon’s 2022 China Military Power Report released in November. China’s fleet is expected to grow to 400 vessels over the next two years, the report says.
Meanwhile, the US fleet has fewer than 300 ships, and the Pentagon’s goal is to have 350 crewed ships, still well behind China, by 2045, according to the US Navy’s 2022 Navigation Plan released last summer. .
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CNN
So to compete, US military leaders rely on technology.
The same Pentagon document says: “The world is entering a new era of warfare, in which the integration of technology, concepts, partners and systems – more than just fleet size – will determine victory in the conflict.”
But Tangredi points to World War II in the Pacific, where Japanese technology began as America’s best, as an example of why the Pentagon’s conclusions are not necessarily true.
“Imperial Japan entered the war with some superior technologies: the Zero fighter, Long-Lance torpedoes, and aerial torpedoes that could attack in shallow water,” Tangredi wrote in Proceedings.
“However, it was the overall power of US industry and the size of the US fleet (particularly its logistics and amphibious ships) that ensured victory over the Imperial Japanese Navy,” he said.
Alessio Patalano, professor of war and strategy at King’s College London, praised Tangredi’s work.
“Your research is a very good way to dispel the silly assumption that mass doesn’t matter in warfare at sea,” said Patalano.
Bigger size means more leaders looking to gain leverage on your commands.
“Larger fleets tend to be more competitive, in terms of training, personnel development and operational capacity,” said Patalano.
And he said that a large industrial base is essential, especially to be able to build new units after incurring casualties in battle.
“In naval warfare, attrition is a real thing, so the ability to replace is vital,” Patalano said.
Tangredi’s look at WWII aircraft carrier fleets shows the staggering numbers. Both the US and Japan started the war with eight aircraft carriers, he said.
“During the war, Imperial Japan built 18 aircraft carrier equivalents … while the United States built 144. Unless the United States decided not to fight, Japan never stood a chance,” he wrote.
Shipbuilding was a strength of the US when it was the world’s industrial giant in the 1940s. That title now falls to China.
“Most analysts doubt that the US defense industry – which has been consolidating and shrinking since the end of the Cold War – could expand quickly enough to meet wartime demand,” Tangredi wrote.
Analysts warn of intensifying arms race in Asia (November 2021)
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CNN
Indeed, there is concern that US industry will not be able to meet the demand to provide arms assistance to Ukraine to counter Russia’s invasion while maintaining US arms stockpiles at adequate levels.
Admiral Daryl Caudle, commander of US Fleet Forces Command, last week urged the country’s defense industries to step up their game, saying “you are not delivering the war materiel we need.”
Can the US Navy defeat the Chinese navy?
“It’s so essential to winning. This may interest you : China’s top diplomat calls for “dialogue”, cooperation with the US. And I can’t do it without the ordnance,” Caudle told a symposium in Washington, adding that the US is “facing a competitor here, and a potential adversary, that is unlike anything we’ve ever seen.”
In an online forum last week, Caudle’s boss, Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Mike Gilday, also noted the numbers problem the US faces in a potential conflict in the Pacific.
Can the Chinese navy defeat the U.S. Navy?
“The US Navy will not be able to match PLAN missile for missile,” Gilday said.
How capable is the Chinese navy?
And if the US Navy can’t match China’s missile for missile, or ship for ship, Tangredi wonders where he can find an advantage. On the same subject : Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan risks further destabilization between the US and China.
Is Chinese navy stronger than U.S. Navy?
“American leaders must ask themselves how willing they are to bet on technological superiority – without numerical superiority – in this fight,” he wrote. Read also : Everything US travelers need to know about planning a trip to China.
Which country has the best submarines?
“I’m not saying that a smaller, technologically superior fleet could never defeat a much larger fleet, I’m just saying that – with the possible exception of three instances in the past 1,200 years – none have.”
Which country has the best nuclear submarine?
| Here’s why China’s threat to Taiwan is ‘huge and immediate’ | 05:05 | |
|---|---|---|
| – Source: | CNN | The US bomber strength, even at just 141 aircraft, is a good comparison against the Chinese navy and China’s overall maritime capability. The US Office of Naval Intelligence predicts that by 2030, China’s maritime force will total more than 800 warships, quasi-military coast guard boats, and large “maritime militia” ships. |
| Has China outgrown the US Navy? China’s navy is by far the largest of any East Asian country, and sometime between 2015 and 2020, it surpassed the US Navy in number of battle force ships (i.e., the types of ships that count towards the US Navy’s quoted size). | “Against the US Navy, under most plausible scenarios, the Chinese navy is actually not that big of a threat,” Heath told Task & Purpose. “Your surface ships are generally quite vulnerable, especially to long-range missiles. The US has superior carrier aviation. We have excellent subsea capability. | The DOD claims that China’s navy is the largest navy in the world, with a battle force of approximately 355 platforms, including large surface combatants, submarines, aircraft carriers, ocean amphibious ships, mine warfare ships and fleet auxiliaries. . |
| The People’s Liberation Army (PLAN) Navy surpassed the US Navy in fleet size around 2020 and now has about 340 warships, according to the Pentagon’s 2022 China Military Power Report released in November. | What is the most advanced submarine in the world? HMS Anson – the most advanced submarine ever built by BAE Systems – commissioned in the Royal Navy. The last Astute-class submarine to be built by BAE Systems, HMS Anson, was officially commissioned into the Royal Navy during a ceremony at the BAE Systems site in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, today. | # |
| COUNTRY | AMOUNT | 1 |
Which military has the best submarines?
U.S
- 71
- two
- Russia
- 33
- 3
- UK
- 11
- 4
Is the Royal Navy the best in the world?
France
10
Is the Royal Navy any good?
Currently, the top 10 attack submarines in the world are these:
How powerful is the Royal Navy today?
Class Nr.1 Seawolf (USA) …
What is China’s best warship?
Class Nr.2 Virginia (USA) …
Nr.3 class Astute (UK) …
What is the most powerful warship?
Nr.4 class Graney (Russia) …
- Nr.5 class Sierra II (Russia) …
- Nr.6 Improved Class of Los Angeles (USA) …
- Nr.7 class Akula (Russia) …
- Nr.8 class Soryu (Japan)
- As of the 21st century, the Royal Navy is primarily focused on expeditionary operations and remains one of the leading blue water navies in the world. The UK’s defense budget is still the 5th largest in the world and the Royal Navy remains at the forefront of the world’s navies.
- Is the British Navy still the best in the world? The Royal Navy is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom, founded in the year 1546 and popular as the fourth strongest navy in the world.
What are China’s most powerful ships?
The Royal Navy can be a fantastic career with many opportunities. Several different jobs to choose from. Excellent pay with benefits. Good prospects for promotion.
What is the best Chinese warship?
The Royal Navy maintains a fleet of technologically sophisticated ships, submarines and aircraft, including 2 aircraft carriers, 2 amphibious transport docks, 4 ballistic missile submarines (which maintain nuclear deterrence), 6 nuclear fleet submarines, 6 missile destroyers guided, 12 frigates, 9 mine-…
