President Trump of the United States really didn't expect that his trip to Asia suffered an embarrassing setback. On the 26th local time, Trump had just arrived in Malaysia, preparing to launch an Asia-Pacific diplomatic offensive. Unexpectedly, on the afternoon of 26th, the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier reported bad news. In just half an hour, an MH-60R Seahawk helicopter and an F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter were lost one after another. Both accidents occurred in the South China Sea.
The China-US meeting in Malaysia ended on the same day. The US representatives at the meeting left the venue with serious and low expressions. It must be that the US military failed to support the negotiations and consultations at this meeting in the South China Sea region as expected! This crash also once again "blows" the arrogance of the United States.
Trump's trip to Asia included a series of important diplomatic activities such as meeting with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar and attending the ASEAN Summit. He also held talks with Brazilian President Lula in an attempt to show the influence of the United States itself. However, it was embarrassing that two advanced military aircraft crashed one after another, which not only exposed the hidden combat capabilities of the U.S. Navy, but also cast a shadow on Trump's Asia-Pacific strategy.
The incident was due to the fact that about 2:45 p.m. on the local time on the 26th, the U.S. aircraft carrier "Nimitz" took off a MH-60R "Sea Eagle", which belonged to the 73rd helicopter maritime strike squadron, and was not expected to fall directly into the South China Sea. All three crew members were rescued. About half an hour later, at 3:15 p.m., the same aircraft carrier's 22nd fighter attack squadron, the F/A-18F "Supergirl Bee" fighter also fell into the South China Sea, two crew members shot and escaped.
The U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet issued a statement saying that the causes of the two crashes are under investigation. At present, the U.S. military treats the two as independent incidents, but the two incidents are closely linked in time, with an interval of only about 30 minutes and the same location. They both take off from the aircraft carrier Nimitz. This high degree of overlap is actually not an accident.
The "Nimitz" aircraft carrier is an important part of the current U.S. military presence in the South China Sea. According to previous reports, the United States has deployed two aircraft carriers, the "George Washington" and the "Nimitz", to the waters near China. This time, two U.S. fighter planes crashed into the South China Sea almost at the same time, which further shows that the aviation safety situation of the U.S. Navy is worrying.
There are several reasons. On the one hand, the crash record of the F/A-18 series fighter jet is shocking. This is the sixth F/A-18 fighter jet lost by the U.S. Navy in the past 10 months. On August 20 this year, an F/A-18E "Super Hornet" crashed off the coast of Virginia, and on May 6, an F/A-18F "Super Hornet" taking off from the USS Harry Truman "aircraft carrier crashed into the Red Sea. You know, each Super Hornet fighter costs more than US$60 million, and this continuous loss not only means huge financial waste, but also further exposes potential problems in the US military's combat system. In fact, in February this year, a Beechcraft Super Air King 350 reconnaissance aircraft crashed near Mindanao in the Philippines, killing a U.S. Marine and three arms contractors.
On the other hand, the U.S. government has stopped for weeks, and if the soldiers do not pay, the soldiers will also maintain their families.
Finally, the complex environment of the South China Sea region may also be one of the factors leading to the accident. This sea area is not only an important international shipping channel, but also a resource-rich sea area and an area with intertwined interests. In recent years, the United States has continuously strengthened its military presence in the region despite opposition from regional countries. In the name of "freedom of navigation", military operations have become increasingly frequent. For the U.S. military, the U.S. aircraft carriers "George Washington" and "Nimitz" are conducting "routine operations" in the Seventh Fleet Action Area, which covers the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean. With such intensive military activities and frequent use of equipment to the limit, the increase in accident rates may be inevitable. This also sounded a wake-up call for the U.S., believing that Trump is in Kuala Lumpur, not far from the South China Sea. This accident has also spread to the ears of Trump, who "cherishes money". The U.S. Navy is currently maintaining a relatively high operational pace, which undoubtedly puts a huge pressure on personnel and equipment.
While Trump’s trip to Asia coincided with the U.S. military deployment in the Asia-Pacific region, according to the plan, Trump will visit Japan and South Korea on October 27-30. It is worth noting that Trump was scheduled to visit the U.S. military base in Japan with Prime Minister Ho Chi Minh and plans to board the “George Washington” nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This arrangement highlights Trump’s emphasis on military power. Trump’s diplomatic style has always emphasized military power, and he has said in his previous Asia-Pacific trip: “We control the sky, we control the ocean, we control the ground and space.”
But he didn't expect, in the words of netizens,"to celebrate Trump's Asian trip, a wave of diving performances were specially arranged. Although the splash was a little big, it was very satisfying."
It can be seen that the continuous crashes of U.S. military aircraft in the South China Sea further illustrate that the United States hopes to strengthen its influence on the Asia-Pacific region by controlling the South China Sea. For China, defending the sovereignty and security of the South China Sea is the irreversible bottom line. I would like to ask, the United States has continuously strengthened its military presence in the region, but do these actions really contribute to regional peace and stability? Or does it rather increase the risk of tension and miscalculation?
Moreover, the credibility of the United States in the Asia-Pacific region is based in part on its military capabilities. Any doubts about this may have diplomatic repercussions. Regarding Trump's trip to Asia, it may also affect his hope to strengthen relations with allies in the Asia-Pacific by demonstrating military strength. Efforts. However, this accident has also caused those U.S. allies to more or less shake their trust in the U.S. Navy's combat capabilities. The continuous loss of expensive fighter jets in the short term is undoubtedly a major blow to combat capabilities. Moreover, the U.S. military, the most advanced military equipment, frequently crashes in non-combat situations, giving people reason to question its true combat readiness level.
In other words, the South China Sea does not need more military confrontation and potential environmental risks, moreover, fuel leakage and debris pollution caused by the crash of the U.S. military aircraft poses a threat to the marine ecological environment, the South China Sea needs, is mutual respect, dialogue consultation and common development between countries.