US Navy Pacific Fleet at breaking point

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

It was a once-in-a-decade display of American firepower.

Three US Navy aircraft carriers -- the largest, most sophisticated warships in history -- assembled off the Korean Peninsula, in a move timed to coincide with US President Donald Trump's first official visit to the region.

But behind the dramatic show of force, questions are emerging as to whether the US Navy is up to the challenges it faces in the Pacific -- from both a nuclear-armed North Korea and a strengthening China -- at a time when its top leaders acknowledge it lacks the money, manpower and weapons to ensure success. And when a massive corruption scandal threatens the ranks of dozens of its top officers.

The three-carrier exercise, conducted in early November with South Korean and Japanese warships, was just one of about 160 multilateral and bilateral exercises performed this year in the area of operations overseen by the Navy's 7th Fleet, a Navy spokesperson told CNN. That's about one exercise every two days.

And the tempo of operations isn't slowing.

Just two days after the three carriers -- the USS Ronald Reagan, USS Theodore Roosevelt and USS Nimitz, and their multi-ship strike groups -- wrapped up four days of war games off Korea, the USS Ronald Reagan, with its air wing and three guided-missile destroyers, began a 10-day exercise with Japanese naval units off Okinawa.

While the US exercises are intended to reassure Asian allies and to show North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that the United States will not be intimidated by Pyongyang's testing of nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, the moves also highlight concerns that the 7th Feet is being stretched too thin.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/us-navy-pacific-fleet-at-breaking-point/ar-BBFxR04?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=edgsp

[msongs]

1. lacks money??? the military steals more than half the nation's wealth already nt

[hack89]

10. About 4% of GDP.

Your math is off.

[bagelsforbreakfast]

2. "at a time when its top leaders acknowledge it lacks the money"...

Don't worry, the new GOP Tax plan will fix everything.

[Irish_Dem]

3. US military budget is $800 billion. But it is never enough and they always get

more with no questions asked.

If the people need money for education or healthcare, then the US has no money to do it.

[Igel]

11. That's discretionary budget.

In 2016, $1,050 billion was spent on health, $1,280 billion on Social Security & unemployment.

Military/DOD was way back in 3rd place.

[Irish_Dem]

12. Americans still do not have a standard of living which matches its wealth.

Access to healthcare and education in this country is truly a disgrace.

[Hoyt]

4. I'm not even sure carriers have that much revelance anymore.

Sure, we'd be better off with them, but local bases, drones, long distance aircraft, warheads, allies, etc., are probably more important if we are going to keep fighting questionable wars.

[underpants]

5. They are a jobs program

Lots of parts are made in a lot of Congressional districts and assembled in others. No Congressman wants that cash cow to go away. Retired military brass also cashes in with defense contractors- they are counting on it.

[Hoyt]

6. Yes, very true. It's our biggest industry. Places like Huntsville, AL, would be

dead without the military related contractors or a big effort to cut the bloated budget.

[Irish_Dem]

13. Exactly. The military industrial complex gets richer while ordinary Americans

struggle.

[CanonRay]

7. I remember reading after the Falkland War

that there were now only two kinds of ships, submarines and targets.

[Hoyt]

9. Good way to put it.

[Docreed2003]

8. When I was on active duty during the Obama years...

There was the constant talk from leadership about the need to tighten our “department belts” due to military cuts, which, we were told, always occur during democratic presidencies. It didn’t matter that both of those statements were demonstratively false, what mattered was spreading the lie that democrats were not supporters of the military.