By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization
The US Navy’s powerhouse USS Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier is projecting power and keeping an eye on Chinese movements in the Pacific, as the service’s only forward deployed carrier is now on patrol in the Philippine Sea. Based in Japan, the USS Ronald Reagan places air attack and Carrier Strike Group offensive maritime power well within the reach of Chinese coastline and territorial waters.
Published Navy photos of the USS Ronald Reagan bring two critical words to mind when it comes to deterring China … proximity and time. Clearly any ability to stop a rapid surprise Chinese attack on Taiwan would come down to questions of time and distance. Should China fire a salvo of ballistic missiles, launch surprise attacks from the air from some of the many aircraft it often operates in Taiwan’s Air Defense Identification Zone or simply start a massive air-surface-undersea amphibious assault, US Navy and allied forces would simply have to be close enough to respond before Chinese warships, amphibious attack vehicles and aircraft were able to quickly transit the 100 mile stretch from the Chinese coastline to Taiwan. Any large scale “massing” of Chinese forces would likely be seen from the air by drones or satellites, yet little could be done to stop a fast Chinese take-over if US Navy and allied sea-launched 5th-generation aircraft were too far away to respond.
These circumstances are likely why the US Navy regularly conducts training and war preparation exercises in the region within range of Taiwan and explain why the US Navy conducted dual-carrier operations in the Pacific earlier this year. The idea is to of course demonstrate an ability to project massive amounts of air attack power within timely striking distance of waters off Taiwan.
China may operate a larger Navy than the US in terms of sheer numbers, but the People’s Liberation Army – Navy has little to no ocean-launched 5th-generation air power. An amphibious assault on Taiwan, however large and well fortified, would likely be extremely vulnerable without air superiority. The US Navy can, for instance, forward position relevant numbers of carrier-launched F-35Cs and amphib-launched F-35Bs. America-class amphibious assault ships, for instance, are able to deploy with as many as 15 vertical take-off-and-landing F-35Bs, so the US Navy has the ability to potentially establish air-superiority in the skies above Taiwan quickly … if … and only if .. they are close enough to get there before the island is taken over. Not surprisingly, the Navy heavily emphasizes forward “presence” in the Pacific.
Steaming the USS Ronald Reagan through the Philippine Sea makes sense in light of the current threat environment given the Philippines’ strong alliance with the US and proximity to Hong Kong and Taiwan. A quick look at a map shows the Philippine’s capital Manila is only 612 miles from the island of Taiwan and 701 miles from Hong Kong. With one refueling from a manned tanker or MQ-25 Stingray drone refueler, a more survivable unmanned system, carrier or ground based strike aircraft are well within attack range of the South China Sea, Chinese mainland and island of Taiwan. Aircraft launched from the Ronald Reagan could land and refuel in the Philippines or Taiwan as a point of departure to conduct combat missions in the region.
A Navy photo showing the USS Ronald Reagan in the Philippine Sea calls the ship the “flagship” of Carrier Strike Group 5, a powerhouse collection of warships which includes destroyers, cruisers and other ships.
Kris Osborn is President of Warrior Maven – Center for Military Modernization. Osborn previously served at the Pentagon as a Highly Qualified Expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army—Acquisition, Logistics & Technology. Osborn has also worked as an anchor and on-air military specialist at national TV networks. He has appeared as a guest military expert on Fox News, MSNBC, The Military Channel, and The History Channel. He also has a Masters Degree in Comparative Literature from Columbia University.
