The Trump administration has sent a guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem near Triton Island in
the South China Sea.
China, Taiwan and Vietnam all lay claim to Triton, a tiny islands in the waters between
Vietnam and the Philippines.
USS Stethem sailed within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of Triton Island on Sunday.
The news of the US ship deployment to the contested area comes just days after reports
suggest China has completed construction of new missile shelters on Mischief and Fiery Cross reefs.
Over the past three months, China has built four new missile shelters on Fiery Cross,
boosting the number of installations on the reef to 12, according to satellite images.
China has also expanded radar facilities on Mischief reefs & Fiery Cross.
This 'Freedom of Navigation' exercise is the second such operation conducted by
the US during Donald Trump's presidency.
On May 24, the US Navy guided-missile destroyer, the USS Dewey, came within 12 miles of the
Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands, another disputed island that lies in the southern
part of the South China Sea.
In this video, Defense Updates analyzes how powerful USS Stethem is and why China should fear it?
The ship is named for Steelworker 2nd Class Robert Stethem, who was a Navy sailor killed
by terrorists in Lebanon in the 1980s.
USS Stethem Stethem ((DDG-63) is an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer in the
United States Navy.
Arleigh Burke-class warships were designed as multi mission destroyers capable of Anti
Aircraft Warfare (AAW), Anti Submarine Warfare (ASW) and Anti Surface warfare (ASuW).
USS Stethem was build by Ingalls Shipbuilding and was commissioned on 21 Oct 1995.
Stethem has operated throughout the Pacific Ocean, as well as on deployments to the Persian Gulf.
USS Stethem being an Arleigh Burke class destroyer is among the largest destroyers in the world.
It has an overall length of 505 feet (154m) and displacement of about 8,900 tons.
It has a speed of 30+ knots (55+ km/h) and range of 4,400 nmi (8,100 km)
The Arleigh Burke class of guided missile destroyers is the United States Navy's first
class of destroyer built around the Aegis Combat System.
The Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System is a United States DOD (Department of Defense)
Missile Defense Agency program developed to provide missile defense against short to intermediate-range
ballistic missiles.
Aegis BMD is designed to intercept ballistic missiles post-boost phase and prior to reentry.
It enables USS Stethem to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles by expanding the Aegis
Combat System with the addition of the AN/SPY-1 radar and Standard missile technologies.
Aegis BMD-equipped vessels can transmit their target detection information to other systems
and, if needed, engage potential threats using either the SM-2 or SM-3 missile.
The heart of the AEGIS systems on board the USS Stethem is an advanced, automatic detect
and track, multifunctional phased-array radar, the AN/SPY-1.
This high-powered (4 MW) radar is able to perform search, track and missile guidance
functions simultaneously with a capability of over 100 targets.
A conventional, mechanically rotating radar "sees" a target when the radar beam strikes
that target once during each 360-degree rotation of the antenna.
A separate tracking radar is then required to engage each target.
By contrast, the computer-controlled AN/SPY-1A Phased Array Radar of the AEGIS system brings
these functions together within one system.
The phased array can concentrate energy where it is needed.
The operator can boost the range and resolution in a particular direction without blinding
the ship to threats from another side.
The 4 fixed arrays of "SPY" send out beams of electromagnetic energy in all directions
simultaneously, continuously providing a search and tracking capability for hundreds of target
at the same time.
USS Stethem is one of the most heavily armed destroyers in the world.
USS Stethem is designed to be a multi weapons platform:
It has 90 cell Mk 41 VLS, which can be configured with the combination of the following weapons,
based on mission.
1. BGM-109 Tomahawk cruise missile for Land attack
2.RUM-139 VL-ASROC is an anti-submarine missile
3.SM2 or SM 3 Standard Ballistic missile AEGIS ballistic missile defense
It also has 2 × Mk 141 Harpoon Missile Launcher for Anti Ship role.
2 × Mark 32 triple torpedo tubes are present launching Mk-46 or Mk-50 torpedoes
2 MH-60R Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters are also present for Anti Submarine Warfare.
Beijing's actions in South China Sea have sparked concerns in Washington and the US
Navy, which is fiercely opposed to this Chinese initiative, has deployed additional warships
in the disputed zone.
US has conducted maneuvers near China's artificial islands, and flown over them, as
part of "freedom of navigation" exercise.
In response, China called Washington's involvement in the dispute the "greatest" threat to
the region.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs termed the operation "trespassing" and said Beijing
had dispatched military vessels and planes in response.
China is "dissatisfied with and opposed to the relevant behavior of the U.S. side,"
Lu Kang, a spokesperson for the foreign ministry, said in a statement on the government's website.
The head of US Pacific Command, Admiral Harry Harris, recently criticized China's activity in the region.
He said in a speech in Brisbane during the joint US-Australian military exercises:
"China is using its military and economic power to erode the rules-based international
order," "Fake islands should not be believed by real
people," he added, as reported by Fox News".
The Trump administration has recently signed a $1.3 billion arms deal with Taiwan, a deal
that China has "demanded" to be cancelled immediately.
The deal with Taiwan signals Trump administration's determination in dealing with China in a more
aggressive manner.
It remains to be seen how this confrontation between US & Chinas pans out.
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