- A US admiral mentioned his strike group can “execute the mission regardless of what the threat is.”
- Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello brushed apart considerations about China’s “carrier killer” missiles.
- China doubled its stockpile of “carrier killer” missiles between 2021 and 2022.
A US admiral has brushed apart considerations that China’s “carrier killer” missiles may pose a severe risk to the US naval fleet.
“I am absolutely confident that the carrier strike group can execute the mission that it was designed to do effectively and safely,” Rear Adm. Carlos Sardiello advised journalists on Wednesday, per Nikkei.
Sardiello, who instructions the USS Carl Vinson strike group, was giving his evaluation of the hazard posed by China’s medium-range ballistic missiles, the DF-21.
“Our highly trained sailors can operate these complex, contested domains and be lethal and survivable, and execute the mission regardless of what the threat is,” Sardiello mentioned on Wednesday.
China has reportedly doubled its stockpile of DF-21s in recent times, going from round 500 missiles in 2021 to 1000 in 2022, in keeping with estimates from the Department of Defense’s China Military Power Report printed final 12 months.
In 2021, the Department of Defense mentioned in its report that the DF-21s would give China “the capability to conduct long-range precision strikes against ships, including aircraft carriers, out to the Western Pacific from mainland China.”
Representatives for China’s protection ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from Business Insider despatched exterior common enterprise hours.