The U.S. is conducting its largest naval exercise in 40 years.
Written by Paul Antonopoulos, independent geopolitical analyst
On August 3, the U.S. began its largest naval exercise in the last 40 years, the Large-Scale Exercise 2021. It involves five naval formations and the Marine Corps across 17 time zones. Another 25,000 soldiers are also participating in the exercise that will end on August 16. According to Stars and Stripes, the last comparable exercise of this magnitude was the 1981 NATO Ocean Venture.
The aim of Large-Scale Exercise 2021 (LSE) is to practice naval battles over a large area, as well as to identify, detect and destroy the enemy at sea, including the destruction of their nuclear weapons. It is a return to the Cold War and is meant to be a demonstration of power against Russia and China showing that the U.S. can carry out combat actions on several fronts simultaneously.
American strategists believe it is possible to defeat a sophisticated enemy on a single order with high-precision simultaneous blows from air, land, sea, space and cyberspace
Vice Admiral Gene Black, the commander of the 6th U.S. Fleet, said: “LSE will test our commanders across the spectrum of naval warfare from the tactical to the strategic, integrating the Marine Corps to demonstrate the world-wide fleet’s ability to conduct coordinated operations from the open ocean to the littoral.”
However, serious doubts exist about the U.S.’ ability to dominate the Black, Mediterranean, South China, and East China Seas, as well as the world’s oceans. In terms of number and quality, the U.S. Navy is beginning to decline as they rank only fourth in the world for the total number of units (490) – the Chinese navy has 777 units, Russia 603 and North Korea 492. According to the Pentagon, there are 297 warships in the U.S. Navy, while China has 335 surface ships.
LSE 2021 is likely a reaction to the failed Pentagon-organized secret strategy simulation in October 2020. According to the deputy head of the staff committee, General John Hyten, last year’s war games “failed miserably” as a capable adversary could achieve “information dominance.” The Pentagon was not prepared to operate in a decentralized environment, especially as high-tech armed conflicts has altered the battlefield.
The head of the naval operations of the U.S. Navy, Admiral Michael Gilday, said yesterday that the LSE 2021 exercise is an opportunity to experiment with the concepts of war to learn lessons for the coming years.
“It’s to take this warfighting concept, which is quite frankly going to be foundational to everything that we buy, everything we invest in, and it’s going to inform how we’re going to fight,” he said.
The commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, Admiral Christopher Grady, said he intends to “advance the art and science of naval warfare” during LSE 2021 by evaluating experimental technologies, particularly data, weapons and platforms in places around the world that are disputed.
This sentiment was shared by the Chairman of the U.S. General Staff, General Mark Milley, who said on August 2 that in order to prepare for war, the U.S. must assimilate 50 new technologies in the next decade, including drones with artificial intelligence.
It is likely that U.S. military leaders believe that Russia and China will be intimidated by the volume of investments and level of training that American forces are undertaking across the globe. However, the U.S. is massively overstretched, especially since the cost of war against Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 has chewed up trillions of dollars, contributing to the astronomical debt that the country has accumulated.
The Russian military showed Britain in June near Crimea that it is willing to take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty against provocations and/or intentional violations. Albeit this was directly against Britain, it was undoubtedly a message to Washington as well. Similarly, the U.S. also engages in hostile actions in the South China and East China Seas in their attempt to pressure and contain China. In the same manner, China frequently has to demonstrate its resolve and determination to not be bullied and contained within their own neighborhood by a foreign power.
The LSE 2021 exercise is undoubtedly huge and attempts to portray the U.S. as still being the preeminent global power. However, with the U.S. wasting the advantage of a unipolar world by being bogged down in Iraq and Afghanistan, it has allowed China and Russia to develop economically and militarily after the catastrophic years of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Now, both countries can challenge the U.S.’ desire for complete global hegemony.
I find it quite amusing to watch the US pushing for exercises at sea knowingly that countries like China or Russia could easily sink them all from very far away. RAND already made it quite clear. In a war between the US and China, “the US would get their asses handed to them”.
A lot of huff and puff but that’s all it is.
The US has only had 17 or is it 19 years peace, since 4 July 1776. With all that fighting, you would have thought they would have learnt some skills, yet, the only nation they managed to beat last century, was the tiny Island of Grenada and even that took a few months. So not a good look.
I wonder if the latest exercise, they will be able to identify and avoid the merchant shipping in the area?
Hi there Hants…long time no see. How is your health? Is everything ok? Remember Mike from Russia Insider? :-)
As usual, your post is spot on.
Take care!
China’s military is made in China, it’s garbage. We condcut exercises to show China the world stands against them. China would need to sink the UK, Australia, Canada, Phillipines, Japan, EU… the list goes on. All we need to do is sink China and use what’s left of the population for comfort and to fill our factories. Maybe the Han work in the Uighurs factories for a change
Garbage? Perhaps you should argue with RAND which is the organisation that the pentagon hires to study enemies and how they can be defeated? I mean, clearly, according to you, they are wrong…right?
“We condcut exercises to show China the world stands against them. China would need to sink the UK, Australia, Canada, Phillipines, Japan, EU… the list goes on.”
Check your math … you’re at about 75% of the population of China … not exactly “the world” against China but more like ‘the west’ against China.
Parading in front of China flaunting your ‘big guns’ then going home like the British just did comes off more like a gay pride parade than a military show of force.
As far as the edition of the ‘coalition of the willing’ we’ll see who your real friends are once the shooting starts. Germany won’t be there for certain … their future is tied up in China … France and the rest of the EU will likely follow Germany. Canada will bring coffee, donuts and a medics. You can always count on Poland and the Baltic states to chip in and sent their ship. japan’s in missile range of China so X them off the map from day one. South Korea will check which way the wind is blowing before committing one way or another … keeping in mind that North Korea is at their back. The Phillipeans strike fear into no one. The UK won’t be able to make it that weekend because they promised to look after the queens corgis.
That leaves you, the Aussies, the Baltic States / polish boat and a Canadian medic provided you can give him a lift to the war. Do the Saudi’s have a navy?
Excellent strategy USA … Navy provide more targets than the enemy has missiles and hope they run out of missiles before the navy runs out of ships.
they are exposing a lot of surface ships. no military value right there. it goes without saying there are targets and there are subs. when it comes to surface warships, china leads the world in numbers.
Must admit I found myself chuckling, whilst reading the article. Enjoying the article, b ut, laughing at the stupidity of both the US and my own Government, over in the UK.
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“…It is likely that U.S. military leaders believe that Russia and China will be intimidated by the volume of investments and level of training that American forces are undertaking across the globe. However, the U.S. is massively overstretched, especially since the cost of war against Afghanistan and Iraq since 2001 has chewed up trillions of dollars, contributing to the astronomical debt that the country has accumulated.
The Russian military showed Britain in June near Crimea that it is willing to take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty against provocations and/or intentional violations. Albeit this was directly against Britain, it was undoubtedly a message to Washington as well. Similarly, the U.S…
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Can you seriously believe Russia would be intimidated by the toddlers on the block, when at less than the cost of the UK Defence Budget, the toys in their defence box leaves everything that NATO has obsolete.
What did surprise me, with regards the article, was how the US Navy is smaller than Russia and China. Bearing in mind, the US used to pride themselves (same with the UK) on their Naval capability. Back in 2014, when the City of London, Washington DC and The Vatican Forces were looking to antagonise Russia, the UK had the 3rd of was it 4th largest military and now, they are just about in the top 10 largest militaries and dropping fast. The US, has the largest and most expensive military, but, certainly nowhere near the best. Russia has the most powerful military, closely followed by China. Both BRICS partners as well as SCO members.
Reminds me of the Polish cavalry parading in front of German tanks.
a bancrupt show of force that can be nuked easily .