According to Kanwa Defence News, which specialises in Chinese military matters, Beijing can cope with just one CSG currently.
'But in five to 10 years, it can certainly take on seven,' said Mr Chang Hong-yi, head of Kanwa, in an interview with The Straits Times.
'China's military potential is enormous and in terms of military technology, the gap with the US is closing fast,' he added.
However, a Chinese military source who declined to be identified is more sanguine.
'Even now, China can easily take on two CSGs,' he said but conceded that there was no way it could face seven all at the same time.
Oh sim, a tal "Kanwa" está muito bem informada. Então em 10 anos os chineses passam de uma capacidade de destruição de 1 porta-aviões para 7
Há aqui gente a viver no mundo de fantasia :roll:
Olhem primeiro para os recursos que a URSS tinha para combater as task forces, e eles nunca consideravam a sua destruição algo garantido. :roll:
Já agora, parece que a própria notícia foi algo empolada:
Operation Summer Pulse '04
By Emeka Madunagu, Punch 4/6/04
Jun 5, 2004, 09:17
The United States Defence Headquarters, otherwise known as The Pentagon, has explained that the deployment of seven aircraft carriers around the world, including the Gulf of Guinea, is intended to sharpen its capability to defend American interests worldwide against any threat.
Under the operation, codenamed “Summer Pulse ’04,” the seven Carrier Strike Groups will be engaged in scheduled deployments, surge operations, joint and international exercises, and other advanced training and port visits.
“Summer Pulse 04 will be the Navy’s first exercise of its new operational construct, the Fleet Response Plan. FRP is about new ways of operating, training, manning, and maintaining the fleet that results in increased force readiness and the ability to provide significant combat power to the President in response to a national emergency or crisis,” the statement issued Wednesday said.
The Pentagon said that the deployment, which begins this week, would involve the Norfolk-based USS George Washington CSG and the San Diego-based USS John C. Stennis CSG, both currently deployed, and Yokosuka, Japan-based USS Kitty Hawk.
USS John F Kennedy CSG, which is based in Mayport, Florida, will begin a combined and joint exercise early this month, followed by a scheduled overseas deployment while the Norfolk-based USS Harry S. Truman CSG will conduct a scheduled training exercise followed by overseas pulse operations with the Norfolk-based USS Enterprise CSG, beginning early this month.
USS Ronald Reagan will conduct operations in the U.S. Northern Command and U.S. Southern Command theaters during the ship’s interfleet transfer from Norfolk, Virginia, to its Pacific Fleet homeport of San Diego.
Although The Pentagon was not specific about which CSG is heading for the Gulf of Guinea, there are indications that USS Harry S. Truman may have been selected for the exercise.
The CSG has been deployed in the Atlantic Ocean since mid-2003, after it participated in the U.S led Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The Harry S Truman Battle Group is a war fighting force made up of up to 12 surface ships and submarines in addition to eight aircraft squadrons equipped and trained to work as a forward deployed force providing a deterrent against aggression and protection of vital U.S. interests around the world.
It was commissioned on July 25, 1998, and competed its final pre-deployment certification exercise in October 2000.
The statement added that, “Summer Pulse 04 will exercise the logistics and shore infrastructure necessary to execute a large scale surge operation, stress the operational concepts in the Navy’s Sea Power 21 strategy, and improve Navy interoperability with numerous allies and coalition partners as well as other U.S. military forces.
“Under the FRP construct, the Navy can provide six CSGs in less than 30 days to support contingency operations around the globe, and two more CSGs can be ready in three months to reinforce or rotate with initially responding forces, to continue presence operations in other parts of the world, or to support military action in another crisis.
“The near-simultaneous deployment of seven carrier strike groups provides the Navy and the joint combatant commanders an opportunity to exercise the FRP while maintaining the ability to respond to crises around the globe, enhance regional security and relationships, meet combatant commander requirements including forward presence, and demonstrate a commitment to allies and coalition partners. “Summer Pulse 04” is scheduled to conclude in August.”
The PUNCH had exclusively reported the deployment on Wednesday and quoted the secretary of the U.S Navy, Hon. Gordon England, as saying that the deployment in the Gulf of Guinea would involve a joint exercise with its allies in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation.
Speaking at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C on May 26, England said, “With the help of Marine General Jim Jones, the Supreme Allied Commander in NATO, we are looking to enhance our operations in the ungoverned regions of Africa. The Gulf of Guinea, for example, is an area where a Navy presence would constitute a strong message. Security, stability, and reconstruction operations are needed in this important region, and the U.S., along with our NATO allies, will be there to help.”
USS Harry S. Truman is participating in the exercise named: “Combined Joint Task Force Exercise 04-2 (CJTFEX 04-2) from June 12-21.
It will involve elements of the U.S Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Special Operations, as well as forces provided by the United Kingdom, Canada, the Netherlands, Norway, France, Germany and Peru.
It will also provide ground for a bilateral training exercise between the U.S and Britain.
A U.S Navy statement said on Thursday that it represented the continuation of many planned U.S. Joint Forces Command’s events, which will involve individual services’ training sites, systems, and events to meet the needs of combatant commanders to fight in a joint environment.
It would prepare USS Harry S. Truman and USS John F. Kennedy for eventual deployment to support “real-world operations” by October.
Agency report said on Tuesday that military officers from the US and Europe as well as Canada and the United Nations met in Luxembourg last week to discuss terrorism and the security of oil supplies in Africa.
It quoted U.S officials as saying that the meeting was the first in a series designed to provide the main forum for an exchange of security information about Africa.
No African official was present at the meeting, but the African Union will be invited to the next meeting, which is planned for later this year.
When our correspondent contacted the U.S European Command by telephone on Thursday, an official of its Public Affairs Department, Lt. Commander Terrence Dudley, said he did not have specific details about the deployment in the Gulf of Guinea.
He advised our correspondent to send questions to him by e-mail and promised to respond by Friday.
Source:Ocnus.net 2004
http://www.ocnus.net/cgi-bin/exec/view.cgi?archive=47&num=12279
