American Think Tank: Trump Wants to Build a "Golden Fleet" to Defeat the Chinese Navy

Washington is working on deploying more advanced defense equipment. From fighter jets and stealth bombers to the next generation of main battle tanks and aircraft carriers, the US military plans to fully introduce unparalleled equipment over the next decade.

Last month, reports revealed that senior US officials are considering forming a new type of warship platform called the "Golden Fleet" to further achieve its military hegemony goals. The Wall Street Journal first disclosed that the White House and Navy officials are collaborating to plan a new fleet for the Navy equipped with top offensive strike capabilities and unmanned platforms, aimed at deterring China and other American adversaries. The "Golden Fleet" plan is undoubtedly ambitious, but whether this proposal will be taken seriously remains to be seen.

Overview of the "Golden Fleet"

The design concept of the "Golden Fleet" is to build modern warships. If ultimately built, their scale and weight will be unparalleled. Specifically, these next-generation warships, when equipped with hypersonic missiles and other weapons, can have a displacement of up to 20,000 tons, and their carrying capacity will far exceed the current destroyers of the Navy. Such a massive size will make these future warships larger and more powerful than the Navy's Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

Brian Clark, a senior researcher at the Hudson Institute and a retired naval officer involved in discussions about the "Golden Fleet" plan, said that the ultimate goal of these next-generation destroyers is to provide powerful fire support. Clark said, "During World War II, we built battleships to get longer-range artillery. I think now we're just saying, in the missile age, we need long-range firepower, that's large missiles. So future battleships will be vessels capable of carrying truly long-range missiles."

Can the Chinese Navy Surpass the "Golden Fleet"?

Although the "Golden Fleet" plan faces many obstacles, from existing shipbuilding delays to financial difficulties, this concept directly reflects the construction of the Chinese Navy. The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) currently has the largest fleet in the world, with 234 warships. By comparison, the US Navy has 219 ships. In addition to developing more maritime forces, Beijing has also developed long-range anti-ship ballistic missiles such as DF-21D and DF-26. According to reports, these "anti-aircraft carrier" missiles are capable of conventional and nuclear strikes on ground and sea targets. This means they can strike land targets such as Guam, as well as warships like the Ford-class aircraft carriers. As detailed by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), "The DF-26 missile uses a 'modular design,' allowing operators to quickly replace nuclear and conventional warheads on the battlefield. Soon after the DF-26 missile was unveiled in 2015, a new type of DF-26 launcher (TEL) emerged, equipped with a hinged independent warhead cover, possibly to facilitate warhead loading operations. These warheads are usually loaded into dual-cone maneuverable re-entry vehicles (MaRVs) with fins, similar to the warheads of the Chinese DF-15B, DF-21C/D, and DF-16 missiles."

If the "Golden Fleet" concept is deployed, it may become a way to counter China's growing arsenal and fleet of warships.

Source: The National Interest

Author: Maya Carlin

Date: November 15

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1848900239422471/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author(s) alone.