What Greenert Thinks About China’s Aircraft Carrier

choi

Bill Gertz, Chinese Missile Forces Pose Threat to US in Future Conflict; CNO says China building second carrier. Washington Free Beacon, July 28, 2014.
freebeacon.com/national-security/chinese-missile-forces-pose-threat-to-u-s-in-future-conflict/

Quote:

(1) "Another major threat in a future conflict is China’s new guided missile destroyer, the Type 052D that the Pentagon says has deployed the PLA’s first multipurpose vertical launch system that is believed 'capable of launching [anti-ship cruise missiles], land-attack cruise missiles (LACMs), surface-to-air missiles (SAMs), and anti-submarine missiles.' More than a dozen Type 052 destroyers are planned.

(2) "Earlier this month, Greenert met in China with PLA Navy chief Adm Wu Shengli * * * Greenert said that Wu asked that Chinese naval experts be permitted to visit US aircraft carriers as part of China’s carrier development program, but the request was rejected.

(3) "Greenert described the Chinese carrier as 'very Russian.'

“'It’s big, it’s heavy, it’s onerous,' he said, adding that the refurbishment includes advanced Chinese military gear.

“'They will build another carrier, probably relatively soon,' he said. 'It’ll look just like this one, they said. Ski ramp. About the same tonnage, 65,000, 70,000 tons.'

"While US carrier operations can include the launch and recovery of 100 aircraft routinely, China currently is limited to launching and landing 10 jets at a time, and test pilots are involved in takeoffs and landings.

(4) "'So I too agree just more kinetic [weapons], more missiles that’s not the way ahead,' Greenert said. 'The way is the electro magnetic spectrum to get in to spoof, to jam, to fry, if you will, microwave, and that’s the way of the future for us as well.'

Note:
(a) The subtitle is a bit exaggeration, as judged by quotation .

(b) About quotation 1.
(i) Type 052D destroyer  旅洋III級: only 1 ship 昆明 is commissioned (on Mar 21, 2014).
(ii) I do not know why "PLA’s first multipurpose vertical launch system" is worrisome. After all, Taiwan's Lafeyette-class frigates 康定級巡防艦 started being equipped with (eight-cell; indigenous) vertical launch system in 2006.

(c) There is no need to read the rest, which is not informative. The takeaway is what Greenert thinks about China’s aircraft carrier, having seen it close-up last week.