Is South China Sea warship breakdown a sign US is ‘taxing reserve capacity’?
A US guided-missile destroyer that was adrift in the South China Sea without power last month is a sign that America is taxing its reserve capacity as its operation against Iran drags on, according to an analyst. “This is an extremely unusual occurrence and a variety of equipment and process failures would have to have taken place,” said Brad Martin, a former US Navy captain who is now a senior…
A US guided-missile destroyer, the USS Benfold, lost power in the South China Sea last month, leaving its crew without essential amenities such as drinking water, meals, functioning toilets, and air conditioning. The incident has been attributed to an engineering failure involving the ship's generators, according to US Navy officials.
Analyst Brad Martin from the Rand Corporation suggested that the breakdown could be a result of deferred maintenance and training gaps, indicating that the US military is stretching its reserve capacity due to the ongoing conflict with Iran. Another US destroyer, the USS Robert Smalls, provided meals for the Benfold's crew before the vessel was towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines, where power was restored by July 30.
The Benfold subsequently sailed for Japan while the rest of the carrier strike group headed to the Middle East. Chinese military analyst Shi Hong described the incident as an example of "unprecedented force overextension" as the US military constantly shifts its limited number of ships around the globe in response to escalating tensions.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
