Admiral John C. Aquilino, commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet and nominee for commander of the new Indo-Pacific Command Aquilino) appeared before the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) on March 23
The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) shared bipartisan concerns about the Chinese Communist threat during its March 23 confirmation meeting between the Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral John C. Aquilino, and the nominee for Commander of the new Indo-Pacific Command (IPCC). C. Aquilino), nearly all senators who asked questions during the meeting raised how to deter the Chinese Communist Party.
Aquilino emphasized that the U.S. Navy remains the most powerful and greatest on the planet and that China is only closing the gap between the two countries. He said the U.S. has 11 aircraft carriers and battle groups holding down the waters. Today’s aircraft carrier battle groups are extremely intimidating and are a deterrent to all competitors around the globe.
Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region is necessary to maintain a strong presence in the region in response to (Chinese Communist) military aggression.
Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), the ranking member, said Defense Secretary Austin, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Milley said the Indo-Pacific is the No. 1 priority region for the United States and that this administration will resist Chinese Communist aggression, and that “Adm. Aquilino, if confirmed in office, is on the front lines of the military race as commander of the Indo-Pacific Command. establishes the goal that Communist leaders can never achieve (maritime hegemony) today through the use of military force.”
Aquilino: U.S. Navy is the most powerful navy on earth Beijing is closing the gap
Admiral Philip Davidson, retiring commander of Indo-Pacific Command, replied on March 9 when asked what the most likely target of Communist military action will be in the next five to 10 years: the first is Taiwan.
In response, General Aquilino agreed that Taiwan is the number one priority target for the CCP and that its strategic location is critical from a military and world trade perspective. He argued that the Chinese Communist Party’s attempt to invade Taiwan by force is coming sooner than most people think and must be confronted head-on, with urgent deployments such as the Pacific Deterrence Initiative in the near future.
He said the U.S. military has a rapid counterattack force and should unite allies and partners who share the same values west of the meridian, “both of which already give us a very strong deterrent.”
In response to a question from Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Tenn.), Aquilino replied, “I want to emphasize that the U.S. Navy is the strongest and greatest navy on the planet.” “China is improving its capabilities and closing the gap.” He thanked Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Michael Gilday, for establishing a 30-year plan to build ships and that the U.S. needs a larger, more lethal pool of ready military forces to compete. (“I’d like to highlight that the United States Navy is the most powerful greatest Navy on the planet still.)
Photo: U.S. aircraft carriers on a mission in the Indian Pacific in July 2020. (Department of Defense photo)
The U.S. Navy has 11 aircraft carriers and battle groups manning the waters
General Aquilino said that under U.S. law, the U.S. Navy currently has 11 aircraft carriers and battle groups to guard the waters. (“Currently the Navy is in alignment with a law of the land of11 carriers.”)
He noted that aircraft carrier strike battle groups are a form of great deterrent to all competitors around the globe. And it requires all U.S. joint forces to maintain an enduring presence on the ground. (“Today’s carrier strike groups are a tremendous form of deterrence, and that is globally against all competitors.”)
Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Texas) said, “We follow the law, and if more carrier strike groups are needed in the Indo-Pacific, we can make new laws and find enough votes.”
Gen. Aquilino replied, “I think currently that is the right size of military force, unless more challenges arise.” (“I think currently that the size of that force is correct. Unless additional challenges show themselves.”)
Photo: U.S. aircraft carriers on a mission in the Indian Pacific in 2020. (Department of Defense photo)
Photo: U.S. aircraft carriers on a mission in the Indian Pacific in 2020. (Department of Defense photo)
According to the information, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet combat attack aircraft on board the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier carry Harpoon missiles and can launch attacks from 1,000 km away. That’s 400 kilometers more than the Russian fleet. 400 kilometers is a long way for a fleet to travel to reach, enough for a U.S. formation to launch multiple strikes, even against a Russian fleet with heavy, long-range supersonic missiles, and other fleets simply don’t have the ability to bring carriers into fire range.
Aircraft carriers can gain detection capabilities and attack ranges far beyond those of warships, and can also gain the absolute advantage of controlling the sea by air. Aircraft carriers can control the sea area of a thousand kilometers in circumference. Any local ship or aircraft that enters the carrier’s attack circle will be eliminated first.
For example, the SS-N-19 Granite missile needs to be 600 km away from the carrier to be launched, while the carrier can wipe out the missile launch platform from a thousand km away.
For submarines, which can perceive a small area of about a few dozen kilometers square, it would take at least a few dozen submarines in one direction to have sufficient density. And the carrier formations themselves would have 1 or 2 submarines. Because of the difficulty of radio waves penetrating sea water, the submarine did not have Time to come up to inform the position, the carrier duty anti-submarine aircraft had already flown above this submarine.
February U.S. Military Exercises Increase Simulation of NATO Allied Forces and Naval Special Operations Forces
The U.S. Navy Association reported in February that simulated NATO allied forces and Naval Special Warfare forces were added to the U.S. carrier battle group in a comprehensive exercise of carrier strike targeting, according to the official website of the U.S. Navy Association.
For the first time, the U.S. military added some additional naval special operations missions to the exercise. And for the first time, it also included a NATO allied element, calling for U.S. carrier battle groups to conduct strike missions with simulated NATO task forces, supported by the London-based Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), to develop a coordinated combat capability with allied nations.
According to statistics from the Global Firepower website (www.globalfirepower.com), there are currently eight countries in the world with active aircraft carriers: the United States (11), the United Kingdom (2), Italy (2), China (2), India (2), Russia (1), France (1) and Spain (1).
In terms of numbers, the U.S. accounts for half the number of aircraft carriers of all other countries combined. In terms of size, the U.S. has the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and the other countries have much smaller carriers than the U.S.
In the Indo-Pacific, which potentially affects two-thirds of world trade, the U.S. has united with its European and Indo-Pacific allies in a military force that will be, as General Aquilino said, “a tremendous deterrent.”
Several Lawmakers Concerned About Taiwan’s Security
A number of lawmakers are concerned about Taiwan’s security and the increased air and naval pressure on Taiwan from the Chinese Communist Party. General Aquilino said the Pacific Deterrence Initiative is a strong example of the effort required to compete and win in the Indo-Pacific region. The program focuses on acquiring advanced military capabilities to deter the Chinese Communist Party, including space-based radar, missile defense, long-range precision fires, logistics, experimentation and innovation, and improved interoperability and exercises with allies and partners.
General Aquilino said he is encouraged by Taiwan’s continued funding of foreign and local acquisition programs and recent training and readiness efforts. If he is confirmed in office, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command will continue to provide Taiwan with advice on relevant military capabilities, interoperability, readiness and professional development through security cooperation and foreign military sales in accordance with the Taiwan Relations Act. Taiwan should prioritize the acquisition of asymmetric systems with high mobility, assignability, and lethality to enable Taiwan to defend against attack.
In support of U.N. sanctions implementation, the United States, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Australia, France, New Zealand and Canada have contributed ships, aircraft and other equipment, as well as personnel to coordinate implementation.
In early March, the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command submitted a budget report to Congress proposing to increase funding for the Pacific Deterrence Program from $2.2 billion in fiscal year 2021 to $4.6 billion in fiscal year 2022, with plans to spend $27.3 billion over the next five years.
Aquilino became the 36th commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet on May 17, 2018. He has a record of more than 5,100 hours of accident-free flying and more than 1,150 safe landings aboard aircraft carriers. He has served as Director of Strategy and Policy (J5), U.S. Joint Forces Command, and was also Deputy Director of the Joint Staff, Commander CSG-2, Chief of Maritime Operations, U.S. Pacific Fleet (N04); Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Plans and Strategies (N3/ N5), and most recently Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, U.S. 5th Fleet, Joint Naval Command.
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