/ world today news/ The command of the American fleet is sounding the alarm. There are not enough weapons in the warehouses even for themselves, not to mention Ukraine. However, the US is not ready to reduce military activity. About how they are looking for a way out of the situation – in the material.
Gunmen fail
The issues were discussed back in January. “I cannot condescendingly close my eyes to the military-industrial complex. I cannot forgive that they do not give us the necessary ammunition. All these stories about covid and logistics do not interest me. I care about the timely delivery of shells and torpedoes,” commented the commander of the Atlantic US Navy Darryl Caudle.
According to the officer, America needs 75 warships on full alert. But there aren’t enough of them because of delays from weapons manufacturers. And this is less than half – in total Washington has 164 ships.
The situation with submarines is no better. “In five years, instead of ten submarines, I got six. Where are the other four?”, Caudle is outraged. At the same time, according to him, the problem is not only in the new submarines, but also in the repair of the old ones.
There are currently 19 submarines under overhaul or waiting. Although according to the plan there should be no more than a dozen.
Chief of Naval Operations Michael Gilday also complained: the military-industrial complex is failing. “Ukraine has shown that the cost of high-tech weapons can be higher than we have calculated,” he stressed.
Threat from rivals
But there is no time for relaxation. The US remains the most formidable military power at sea, but Russia and China are increasing their activity. Washington doesn’t want to put up with that.
On Wednesday, May 3, NATO Assistant Secretary General for Intelligence and Security David Kutler announced the threat of sabotage in the Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and Baltic Sea that the Kremlin could organize. For example, gas pipelines and internet cables.
In total, there are about 400 cables that carry 95% of the world’s Internet traffic. Two hundred of them are critical. “About ten trillion dollars worth of financial transactions go through them every day, it’s actually the economic core,” the official explained.
Now, he assures, Russian sailors are compiling maps of key infrastructure sites of the Alliance countries both on the seabed and on land.
But the issue is not limited to the Atlantic Ocean – the situation in the Arctic Ocean is causing even more concern in Washington. According to the representative of the Alliance, over the past decade, Moscow has significantly increased its military capabilities in the Arctic. Beijing does not sleep either.
At the end of January, the Americans conducted the Northern Strike exercise. They tested the readiness of the National Guard for action in cold conditions. At the same time, as The Atlantic notes, the US has not built Arctic-class surface ships since the 1950s. In fact, they have nothing to oppose Russia here.
But these are just a few examples. The number of potential conflict zones on the planet is growing. The White House needs the US military to be able to quickly reach anywhere in the world. It is on this that the American military doctrine is built, and problems with the equipment of the fleet are a headache for all armed forces.
Search for a solution
To remedy the situation, a four-part plan was developed.
The first is a change in the terms of budget formation. The Pentagon now relies on five-year periods, but as Caudle notes, that limits options. According to him, 15 years would give the fleet more room to maneuver.
The second is the “United Atlantic” concept, which provides for an urgent transfer of forces across the Atlantic Ocean. This will make the fleet more flexible. But the teams and the ships themselves must be well prepared.
Therefore, the admiral proposes to review the principles of the response of the fleet. Ships and crews now operate in three-year cycles: maintenance, training and deployment. They then remain on high alert. The difficulty is that the entire strike group of the aircraft carrier goes through these stages: if they update the fleet, then on all vessels at once.
Finally, training must be reformed. Staff are trained only at the beginning of their career, and the program is the same. It is more expedient for them to train first on land – with the help of virtual reality. And only then to be sent on board the ship.
Also, classes are needed throughout the service. Additional courses are also provided when changing positions.
Fleet Command is confident that this will solve the critical problems. And all this because, says Caudle, it is the naval forces that are in daily contact with the main rivals – the ships of Russia and China.
Translation: V. Sergeev
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