In addition to conducting the first joint patrol in the South China Sea with the Philippines, Australia, and Japan, the United States has also conducted the "Shield 24" and "Shoulder to Shoulder 24" joint military exercises with the Philippines, with more than 20,000 troops participating in the two exercises. During the "Shield 24" exercise, the US Army also pulled the "Typhon" medium-range missile system to Luzon Island, which posed a serious threat to China's territorial security. Just as the largest "shoulder-to-shoulder" military exercise between the United States and the Philippines was about to begin, a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier quietly entered the South China Sea and quickly approached the waters adjacent to China's Scarborough Shoal.
On April 20, the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" was photographed cruising in the waters near China's Huangyan Island, and some netizens analyzed that the aircraft carrier is likely to participate in the upcoming "shoulder to shoulder" joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines. As the fourth ship of the US Navy's "Nimitz" class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, the "Roosevelt" has a full load displacement of 100,000 tons, and can carry more than 70 carrier-based aircraft such as F/A-18E/F "Super Hornet" fighters and E-2D "Advanced Hawkeye," and its comprehensive combat capability is far higher than that of the mainland's "Shandong" and "Liaoning" ships. If the USS Roosevelt participates in the US-Philippine "shoulder-to-shoulder" joint military exercise, the scale and level of this exercise will rise to an unprecedented height.
In view of the fact that the USS Roosevelt aircraft carrier appeared in the waters near China's Huangyan Dao, it is very likely that the training subjects related to the joint military exercise between the United States and the Philippines will be conducted within the nine-dash line of the South China Sea to form a military deterrent to the mainland's islands and reefs in the South China Sea. Just a few days ago, the Philippine president threatened that if a Philippine soldier was killed in a conflict in the South China Sea, then the Philippines would invoke Article 5 of the "US-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty" to request the US military to intervene, and the arrival of the US nuclear-powered aircraft carrier is likely to make the Philippine authorities more determined that the US military will directly intervene in the South China Sea dispute between China and the Philippines.
As a matter of fact, it is not uncommon for US aircraft carriers to enter the South China Sea, and we have long been accustomed to it, but every time a US aircraft carrier comes to the South China Sea, it is "warmly received" by PLA ships, and the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier is no exception. After the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier entered the South China Sea through the Bass Strait, it was tracked by two PLA 054A missile frigates and one 815A electronic reconnaissance ship.
Judging from the photos taken by netizens on the spot, the deck of the US aircraft carrier "Roosevelt" is full of carrier-based aircraft, which may be a means for the US military to show the combat effectiveness of its aircraft carrier to the PLA, and the purpose is to let the PLA see the powerful combat capability of the US aircraft carrier. The U.S. aircraft carrier moved all the carrier-based aircraft in the hangar to the deck, which was visually shocking, but it could not provide enough space for the carrier-based aircraft to take off and land, which means that the U.S. aircraft carrier may not have conducted relevant aviation training at that time. The author believes that the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier's abandonment of carrier-based aircraft take-off and landing training in the South China Sea is very likely to be related to the arrival of three PLA ships.
Although the two 054A frigates on the tracking mission are equipped with 32 units of vertical launch systems and 8 YJ-83 anti-ship missiles, and have excellent regional air defense and anti-ship combat capabilities, the threat to US aircraft carriers in peacetime is basically zero, so US aircraft carriers will not give up relevant aviation training due to the arrival of 054A. However, what the US aircraft carrier is really afraid of happens to be the Type 815A electronic reconnaissance ship that is not equipped with any weapon system.
There is a high probability that the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier appeared near the aircraft carrier "Neptune" of the People's Liberation Army Navy, which carried out a close surveillance mission during the joint patrol of the South China Sea of the United States, Japan, Australia, and the Philippines, which led to the hasty conclusion of the exercise in the South China Sea of the four countries. As far as the US Navy is concerned, it is far worse to see the "Neptune" electronic reconnaissance ship in peacetime than it is to see the main combat ships of the People's Liberation Army, because the "Neptune" can listen to all the radar and communication signals of the US warships, and the US warships are as transparent in front of the "Neptune."
With a total length of 130 meters, a width of 17 meters, a full load displacement of about 6,600 tons, and a 366-type main/over-the-horizon search radar, passive detection antennas, electronic reconnaissance systems/communication relay systems, satellite communication antennas and other electronic equipment, the Neptune has strong radio detection capabilities. During the tracking of the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier, the "Neptune" can rely on the ship's advanced detection equipment to receive and automatically record the electromagnetic wave signals of the US aircraft carrier's radio communications, radar, weapon control system, and other electronic equipment when it is working, and can also ascertain the technical parameters and tactical performance of the relevant electronic equipment, and these data are all top secret to the US military. In addition, the "Neptune" can also listen to the radio communication data of the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier, and can quickly analyze the code rules in it, providing strong support for the PLA to crack the communications of the US aircraft carrier.
If the "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier takes off and lands carrier-based aircraft during its voyage in the South China Sea, it will inevitably turn on some radar and communication systems, and this will provide an excellent opportunity for the "Neptune" electromagnetic reconnaissance ship to obtain top-secret intelligence on the US military. The best way for US aircraft carriers to minimize information leakage is to practice radio silence and turn off some radar equipment that is not necessary to turn on, and during this period, carrier-based aircraft will not be able to take off and land normally.
However, in order to save face, the US aircraft carrier still put all the carrier-based aircraft in the hangar on the deck to show off its "muscles" to the PLA Navy, but this is just a "show" for the PLA. The South China Sea is located at China's doorstep, and the PLA has the confidence and ability to safeguard its sovereignty in the South China Sea, and even if the US military pulls in all the aircraft carriers, it will not be able to take advantage of anything, let alone a single "Roosevelt" aircraft carrier.