China and the challenge to US troops in the South China Sea | World



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Threats

In the newspaper article Defense news Recently posted, former US military pilot Scott Trail, now a research engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, said China’s expansionist plots were primarily focused on the Paracel Islands and the archipelago. Spratly Islands.
They are two islands under the sovereignty of Vietnam. In the Paracel Islands, China has illegally built a port and airstrip on Phu Lam Island, where more than 1,000 Chinese soldiers are stationed illegally, according to Trail. In Changsha, China has also illegally built three tracks at Xu Bi, Vanh Vai and Cross.
China understands the importance of logistics facilities in the Western Pacific, and expansion into the South China Sea and East China Sea is part of its ploy to increase its logistics advantage in the region, Trail said. . These two seas provide food to feed the Chinese, oil and gas for their machines, and control about 20% of world trade.
China and the challenge to US troops in the South China Sea - photo 1

China illegally built an airstrip, installed radar systems and communication facilities at Cross Rocks in the Spratlys archipelago under Vietnamese sovereignty

If China’s expanding presence in the South China Sea is not hampered, China could harness its influence far beyond its borders, undermining international maritime law, according to Trail.

He cites a 2020 study by the research organization Rand (USA) that “once (the South China Sea) [các lực lượng Trung Quốc) chiếm đóng, Trung Quốc sẽ có thể tận dụng ảnh hưởng cách xa hàng ngàn km về phía nam và gia tăng sức mạnh ở đại dương (Thái Bình Dương)”. Tình trạng này sẽ đe dọa không chỉ đối tác và đồng minh của Mỹ mà còn các tuyến đường biển quan trọng không có tranh chấp.

Phần trọng tâm đối với mối đe dọa này là chiến lược phong tỏa – chống tiếp cận (A2/AD) mà Trung Quốc đang xây dựng để đẩy quân lực của Mỹ hoặc các nước ngoài khu vực ra khỏi chuỗi đảo thứ nhất, trải dài từ đảo Kyushu của Nhật Bản tới Đài Loan và Philippines. Lâu nay, Bắc Kinh luôn cho rằng Mỹ dùng “chuỗi đảo thứ nhất” để kiềm chế Trung Quốc, theo tờ South China Morning Post.

Thách thức

Để có thể vô hiệu hóa chiến lược A2/AD với nhiều hệ thống cảm biến và tên lửa, quân đội Mỹ trước tiên được cho là phải phân tán các lực lượng và khí tài đến nhiều nơi. Hỗ trợ một lực lượng di động và tách ra ở Biển Đông đòi hỏi có đội vận tải ứng phó nhanh và đội vận tải trực thăng hạng nặng. Không may là quân đội Mỹ đã phớt lờ phát triển đội vận tải biển trong nhiều thập niên để đầu tư cho tàu sân bay và tàu ngầm, theo ông Trail.

Những chiến hạm này tiếp tục mang lại cho Mỹ lợi thế quân sự mang tính chiến lược, nhưng không thể hoạt động mà không có thực phẩm cho thủy thủ đoàn và linh kiện để sửa chữa máy bay, tàu nổi và tàu ngầm. Thiếu sự đầu tư này lâu nay dẫn tới sự suy giảm có thể đoán trước của Mỹ trong việc sẵn sàng cho một cuộc xung đột.

[VDIEO] Rare video of the US military conducting missions in the South China Sea

Mr. Trail quotes an analysis from the magazine. national defense The dispatch team mobilization drills showed that only 64% of the ships were ready for the mission and only 40% of the ships were ready to perform the expected operations. “This is a big problem because the shipping capabilities of the military will play a key role in the event of a war,” Trail said.

The role of the army

Luckily, according to the magazine Forbes In October, the article showed that the US military would conduct better dispatch capabilities and is receiving support from both Republicans and Democrats, according to Trail. To enhance this capability, the US military will extend the life of advanced ships in the ready reserve fleet, purchase used foreign commercial ships, upgrade, and build new supply ships. .

Additionally, Mr. Trail emphasized the role of the United States Army in enhancing the transportation capacity of the United States Army in the Pacific. “Although the military is primarily land-based, a 2014 Rand study of the role of the military concludes that support for the combined force“ may be among the most important roles of the military in an action. great conflict with China, ”Trail wrote.

In a marine environment with very little infrastructure, that means expanding heavy transport capacity on board. The Army’s heavy transport helicopter is the CH-47. While it plays a key role in Army ground transportation, the CH-47 does have some downsides when it comes to operating on board.

China and the challenge to US troops in the South China Sea - photo 2

CH-53K heavy transport helicopter lifts a light combat vehicle in a test

Meanwhile, the Marines are testing a new generation of heavy transport helicopters, the CH-53K, and completed their sea trials in June. The CH-53K has more advantages than it does. CH-47 when operating in a marine environment. Therefore, if there is an additional CH-53K, the heavy transport capacity of the US Army will improve significantly.

Trail, who previously piloted CH-46 helicopters and V-22 Osprey vertically-capable multitask helicopters, recognized the production of helicopters and training equipment for the military to carry out the mission. Loading at sea will take time; But building and rebuilding ships and training crews takes even more time, and developing a robust logistics infrastructure is not easy or fast.

He warned that the sooner the US military does not solve the logistical challenge in the South China Sea, the greater the risk that China will expand its presence in the region. The expansion may lead to the possibility that China will quickly take control of the region and this situation will harm the United States and its allies.




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