April 14, 2005 :: San Diego Union Tribune :: News
In an interview for the San Diego Union-Tribune, Navy Admiral Walter F. Doran, Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, described that the Aegis ships equipped with ballistic defenses are prepared for “limited defense operations.”
Q: What is the Navy’s role in ballistic missile defense with the Aegis system?
A: We are ready right now, the United States Navy in the Western Pacific, again 7th Fleet units, are ready for limited defense operations in the Western Pacific if we were required to do it. The sea-based ballistic missile defense is very much a real player. In fact, if you look back we have had very successful (interception) shots with the SM3 missile at the Pacific Missile Range.
Admiral Doran also answered questions about such things as China’s modernizing military and the North Korean threat.
Excerpts from the interview:
Q. China is obviously involved in a considerable expansion of its military capabilities. From the standpoint of the U.S. Navy, what we read is that China is beginning to build a blue water naval capability, a new direction for China. China has nearly 70 submarines, a sizable and growing surface fleet and a substantial naval air arm. its maritime reach is expanding. What do you make of all this?
I think this is a very appropriate area for the Pacific Fleet commander to comment on, because I’m engaged with it and it’s something that I spend a lot of time watching and thinking about and analyzing. First of all, all your observations are correct. China is making a very substantial financial capital investment in its Navy. And this is new, this is different, for China. To a certain degree, I don’t think we should be surprised at this. As China emerges, as China grows into its new-found economic strength, as China modernizes, as China opens up, I think with our eyes wide open we have every expectation that China will modernize its military. And that’s what we’re seeing happening. …They are buying quality hardware, both weapons systems and vessels, from Russia and some from some other places. And they have made a huge investment in their submarine force. They are building submarines in China. The Song class submarine primarily. They do have nuclear submarines. They have the Han (class) and they’re building, they’re increasing both by numbers and by capabilities. And also they have imported the Kilo class submarine from Russia, which is a quality diesel submarine. So I pay a lot of attention to that.
Q. What’s the significance of China’s growing military power?
I think we have an opportunity. An emerging China is something that is going to affect the world in a huge manner. What I tell people often is that I have a 9-year-old granddaughter. And the world which she lives in when she’s an adult to a large degree will be shaped by our ability to deal with an emergent China and to get this done and to get it done correctly. So I think watching China, being very careful, analyzing what the Chinese are doing, knowing their capabilities, is important. At the same time underneath the policy of the Department of Defense and the State Department and our government having a theater security cooperation program with China that meets our national interests is a positive thing. So we spend a lot of time watching China and trying to understand what China does and reacting to it in a positive manner. …
Q. How concerned are you with the situation on the Korean peninsula?
I remain concerned. I’ve spent a lot of time in the Western Pacific. And Korea has been a constant during these many, many years. And one of the dangers with a constant is that you can, if you’re not careful, you can tend to either take it for granted or allow it to kind of fade into the background. And Korea is a very dangerous constant for us. Again, having said that, we work very closely with General (Leon) LaPorte who is the U.S. Forces and the Combined Force commander in Korea. The 7th Fleet commander is his, would be his naval component commander if there were hostilities on the Korean peninsula. And I’m very confident with our ability to get to Korea. And having the 7th Fleet as a persistent presence in the Western Pacific, and being in this neighborhood all the time with credible combat capabilities allows us to have the ability to react quickly if anything were to happen on the Korean peninsula. So you cannot overlook or forget or minimize the danger that North Korea is, that it provides. But at the same time I’m confident in our abilities. We exercise regularly in a joint manner with U.S. Forces and Combined Forces Korea and we would get there rapidly. But the best thing is that it not happen, of course.
Q. What is the Navy’s role in ballistic missile defense with the Aegis system?
We are ready right now, the United States Navy in the Western Pacific, again 7th Fleet units, are ready for limited defense operations in the Western Pacific if we were required to do it. The sea-based ballistic missile defense is very much a real player. In fact, if you look back we have had very successful (interception) shots with the SM3 missile at the Pacific Missile Range.
(Article)
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