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, was recently adrift in the South China Sea without power, raising concerns that America may be straining its reserve capacity due to ongoing operations against Iran, according to a senior policy researcher. Former US Navy captain Brad Martin stated that such failures are a predictable outcome of factors like deferred maintenance and training gaps.
The Benfold, an Arleigh Burke-class vessel, lost power on July 24 due to an engineering failure, leaving it stalled for four days without essential services. Sailors were forced to rely on the USS Robert Smalls for meals and the ship was eventually towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs. The US Seventh Fleet spokesperson confirmed that the destroyer's power was restored on July 30, after which it proceeded to Japan, while the rest of the carrier strike group headed to the Middle East.
Analysts have noted that the ongoing Iran conflict is placing significant strain on the US military, as these types of incidents become more frequent.
Written by urgent.news from Reuters Business via SCMP's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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