Dual Strike Power

Large parts of the South China Sea are claimed by China. Despite this, American ships continue to exercise in this sea area. As a demonstration, the Navy has currently deployed two carrier groups to the region. The Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group exercised together with the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group on 9 February. The focus here is on cooperation between the assets in complex scenarios. It is also intended to demonstrate that the USA continues to regard the entire Indo-Pacific as a free and open sea area. The exercise area is particularly challenging due to the heavy shipping traffic. Given the size of the two formations and the restrictions during flight operations, this is no easy task for the commanders.
The fact that the US Navy is practising in the South China Sea with two aircraft carriers at the same time is nothing new. Last year, the USS "Ronald Reagan" and the USS "Nimitz" met here for similar operations.
China sees the demonstration of strength provided by the exercise as the decisive factor. A government advisor classified the manoeuvre as a move by hardliners in the new US administration. Their aim is to exert pressure on China and demonstrate strength to their allies in the region. America is well aware that China could cover its entire maritime forecourt with the DF-21 missiles known as "carrier killers". Following the US exercises in 2020, China fired several DF-26 and DF-21 ballistic missiles into the South China Sea to demonstrate its strength and capabilities. They can attack maritime targets from different directions in a concerted action. It is questionable whether the carrier strike groups could effectively defend themselves against this threat in an emergency.

Text: mb; Photo: US Navy