WHY DEPLOYMENT OF USS WASP WITH F 35s IS A MESSAGE TO CHINA & NORTH KOREA ?

INTRODUCTION

One of the U.S. Navy’s largest surface warships, the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Wasp, arrived at the naval port of Sasebo, Japan on January 14, replacing its sister ship USS Bonhomme Richard as the biggest forward-deployed amphibious assault ship in the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet.
The 40,000-ton vessel will replace the USS Bonhomme Richard as the flagship of Task Force 76, which includes all of the 7th Fleet amphibious forces.
The USS Wasp, following modifications of its flight deck, is capable of operating the U.S. Marine Corps’ variant of the supersonic fifth-generation F-35B Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter. F-35B fighters are expected to embark on the USS Wasp when it begins it scheduled regional patrols in the coming weeks.

In this video, Defense Updates analyses WHY DEPLOYMENT OF USS WASP WITH F 35s IS A MESSAGE TO CHINA & NORTH KOREA ?

SCENARIO

“The arrival of USS Wasp represents an increase in military capability and a commitment to our partners and allies for security and stability in the region,” said Captain Colby Howard, the commander officer of the USS Wasp.
According to a press statement, “Paired with the F-35B Joint Strike Fighter, we remain ready to execute the full range of military operations from crisis response to disaster relief.”
CHINA FACTOR

China’s sweeping claims of sovereignty over the sea have infuriated competing claimants Malaysia, Brunei, Taiwan, Indonesia, the Philippines as well as Vietnam.

United States, Japan, Australia and India favor freedom of navigation as it is a very important sea route with 5 trillion $ in trade, half of global merchant shipping and 1/2 of world’s oil shipment pass through it.
The sea also has alleged 11 billion barrels of untapped oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
China embarked on its massive land-reclamation program in early 2014. South China Sea Arbitration, was an arbitration case brought by t Philippines against China
The landmark decision rejected China’s assertion that it enjoys historical rights over a huge area of the South China Sea encompassed by a “nine-dash line.” China had argued that the tribunal had no jurisdiction in the matter and rejected the decision.

The increased Chinese assertiveness has been source of major concern for its neighbors.

NORH KOREAN THREAT

In 1994, South Koreans stocked up on essentials in panic after a threat by a North Korean negotiator to turn Seoul into “a sea of fire” - one which has been repeated several times since and is more real than ever with North Korea now possessing nukes.

North Korea has also threatened to sink Japan and said the US should be “beaten to death like a rabid dog” after the two countries spearheaded fresh UN security council sanctions in response to the regime’s recent nuclear test.
The Korea Asia-Pacific peace committee, which oversees North Korea’s relations with the outside world initiated the threat.
“The four islands of the [Japanese] archipelago should be sunken into the sea by the nuclear bomb of Juche,” the committee said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
“Japan is no longer needed to exist near us,” the committee added.

US has time again reiterate its resolve to defend its allies Japan and South Korea, and the deployment of USS Wasp is to be looked from that angle.

USS WASP CAPABLITIES

The Wasp has a displacement of 40,532 long tons & has a length of 844 ft (257 m). Wasp's two steam propulsion plants generate a total of 400 tons of steam per hour. The propulsion system develops 70,000 shaft horsepower (52 MW), powering the ship to speeds in excess of 22 knots (41 km/h; 25 mph).
The amphibious assault ship, commissioned in 1989, has a crew of over 1,000 officers and sailors and can embark around 2,200 Marines, smaller amphibious assault crafts, and around 31 aircraft, including F-35Bs, AV-8B Harrier IIs, MH-60S Knighthawk helicopters, AH-1Z Viper helicopters, and MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft.

F 35 CAPABLITIES

The F 35 Lightning ii is a single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole fighters developed by Lockheed Martin of United States. The Pentagon began the F 35 program in 2001 with an aim to develop a cost effective replacement for the U.S. military’s F 15, F 16, F 18 Fighters, reconnaissance aircrafts as well as A10 close air support warplanes. The two important feature F 35 brings to the table is stealth and sensor fusion.
CONCLUSION

The deployment of USS Wasp is not only strategically significant but also has an impact in term of messaging. The deployment comes at a time when situation in the region has become volatile due to the steps taken by North Korea and China. USS Wasp will provide a reassuring presence to Japan and South Korea.

Видео WHY DEPLOYMENT OF USS WASP WITH F 35s IS A MESSAGE TO CHINA & NORTH KOREA ? канала Defense Updates