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Text/Fatty Eggplant

The assassination of the Hamas leader is likely to lead to a bloody conflict in the Middle East.

According to a report by Guancha.com citing USNI News on August 5, the assassination of Hamas leader Haniyeh in Tehran, the capital of Iran, has intensified recently. The latest news from Iran has clearly accused the Israeli intelligence department of using "short-range projectiles" (such as individual missiles) to kill Haniyeh. In response, Iran has clearly announced that it will take "definite bloody revenge" for this incident.

This incident has further exacerbated the turbulent situation in the Middle East. The outside world is very worried that Iran and Hamas’ possible retaliatory strikes against Israel will trigger a full-scale multi-front war involving most countries in the Middle East. As Israel’s largest ally and supporter, the United States certainly does not want to see the Middle East fall into chaos and damage its vested interests.

It is reported that considering that the USS Roosevelt, which is currently deployed in the Middle East, will return to the United States, in order to maintain the continuous "settlement" of the US aircraft carrier strike group in the Middle East,U.S. Secretary of Defense Austin personally ordered the USS Lincoln, which is being deployed in the Western Pacific, to lead its Third Carrier Strike Group to the Middle East to replace the USS Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group.

It is reported that the USS Lincoln is currently docked in Guam for rest and recuperation. According to information disclosed by US military spokesperson Sabrina Singh, the USS Lincoln had previously planned to go to the Seventh Fleet's combat mission area in the Western Pacific where Guam is located, becoming the only aircraft carrier deployed by the US military in the Asia-Pacific front line.With the USS Lincoln being transferred to the Middle East to replace the USS Roosevelt and support the USS Wasp amphibious assault ship, and another US aircraft carrier USS Washington, which was originally planned to be deployed to Japan, still docked in the port of San Diego, the US military in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to face an "aircraft carrier shortage."

andThis also means that the current military influence of the US military in the Asia-Pacific region will continue to remain at a low level due to the absence of aircraft carriers, which represent the "ceiling of conventional military deterrence."Currently, the only naval strike forces deployed by the US military in the Asia-Pacific are the "quasi-aircraft carrier amphibious battle group" led by the USS America, and the USS Blue Ridge, which is operating in the South China Sea but does not have much combat power. Even if the USS Boxer can go to Japan for support, the US Navy's influence in the Western Pacific is obviously severely lacking.

Under such circumstances, the gap in military power between China and the United States in the Asia-Pacific region has become more prominent. Currently, only China has deployed aircraft carriers in the Asia-Pacific region.LiaoningandShandong。Does this mean that China has an opportunity? In fact, this does not mean that China is likely to take this opportunity to launch actions in the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.- On the one hand, the PLA currently has no intention of conducting any large-scale military operations, and the current situation in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea is generally stable; on the other hand, the US military is facing an "aircraft carrier shortage" in the Asia-Pacific region, which is nothing new for the PLA.

As early as a month ago, James Holmes, a professor of strategy at the U.S. Naval War College, clearly warned the U.S. Navy:"The current number of U.S. Navy ships is too small, while the U.S. military's demand for new ships is increasing exponentially, making it impossible for decision makers in Washington to meet all requirements and win all competitions."

At the same time, in addition to the serious shortage of ships, the US military's "procrastination" is also a big problem. It is reported that the USS John C. Stennis, which is currently undergoing a mid-term overhaul, faces "industrial challenges" due to limited shipyard capacity, and its return to service is expected to be delayed until October 2026. This means that the overhaul time of this 100,000-ton nuclear-powered aircraft carrier will be extended from the originally estimated three years to about five years.

This has almost become a "routine" for the US military. Data shows that since 2001, US aircraft carriers have undergone seven major overhauls, the shortest of which was the Nimitz, which took 1,129 days (about 3 years).The USS Washington, which underwent the longest and most recent overhaul, took 2,120 days (about 5.8 years).

In contrast, the rapid production of new Chinese warships has further exacerbated the relative decline of the U.S. military. Of course, from another perspective, the U.S. is also to blame for its own mistakes - if the U.S. did not act as the "world policeman" and did not think about maintaining its maritime hegemony all day long, then the U.S. military's existing aircraft carriers would be more than enough to ensure the national security of the U.S.