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That's really neat! I do wonder why, though - I understand any threat from e.g. China is fabricated, as any real war would be mutually assured destruction as bo

That's really neat! I do wonder why, though - I understand any threat from e.g. China is fabricated, as any real war would be mutually assured destruction as both/all sides have nukes. So, am I wrong to assume this will, if at all, only be used against defenseless targets, such as political/civilian targets, as show-of-strength to justify the massive budget and "whoa thats cool"-factor (which, to be fair, it has)?

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AnimalMuppet 5y ago
> I understand any threat from e.g. China is fabricated, as any real war would be mutually assured destruction as both/all sides have nukes. Both sides had poison gas in WWII, but nobody used it. It's good to be able to counter China without having to go to nukes to do so. Is any threat from China fabricated? Depends. Are we going to defend Taiwan, or not? If we are, then it's China who's "fabricating" the threat.
trasz 5y ago
You need to transfer all those money into military companies that politically support you _somehow_; building a ship is a convenient way to do this.
ranger207 5y ago
Mutually assured destruction isn't assured to happen. Generals have always believed that sub-nuclear conflicts were possible. The current generally accepted theory is that MAD would come when one side's survival as a state is in danger, probably as a result of a chain of escalation. In a potential Taiwan conflict, when would either side use nukes? China wouldn't use them unless they believe they can't successfully take Taiwan without them, but who would they use them against? Nuking Taiwan makes their newly-captured territory worthless, while nuking the US will start a chain of nuclear escalation that probably ends in MAD. The US wouldn't use nukes unless they believed that they couldn't defend Taiwan without nukes, but Taiwan and the US have been investing heavily (as evidenced by this new ship) in making Taiwan defensible, and besides that, Taiwan's value (like its cities, chip fabs, etc) are vulnerable enough that they can be destroyed without nukes. Neither side wants a nuclear war.
- greedo 5y ago
  Other than selling some largely obsolete aircraft and conducting a few joint training missions, the US has definitely NOT been investing heavily in making Taiwan defensible. Especially when you consider that the US Navy will be the primary tool used to defend Taiwan, and the US government has been forcing the Navy to focus on supporting the Army in the mideast, as opposed to oh, deterring other navies?
- myrandomcomment 5y ago
  The sinking of a US fleet would result in the same public reaction as that Pearl Harbor. The US would not backdown and China knows that, which is why the current status will likely not change.

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AnimalMuppet 5y ago

> I understand any threat from e.g. China is fabricated, as any real war would be mutually assured destruction as both/all sides have nukes. Both sides had poison gas in WWII, but nobody used it. It's good to be able to counter China without having to go to nukes to do so. Is any threat from China fabricated? Depends. Are we going to defend Taiwan, or not? If we are, then it's China who's "fabricating" the threat.

trasz 5y ago

You need to transfer all those money into military companies that politically support you _somehow_; building a ship is a convenient way to do this.

ranger207 5y ago

Mutually assured destruction isn't assured to happen. Generals have always believed that sub-nuclear conflicts were possible. The current generally accepted theory is that MAD would come when one side's survival as a state is in danger, probably as a result of a chain of escalation. In a potential Taiwan conflict, when would either side use nukes? China wouldn't use them unless they believe they can't successfully take Taiwan without them, but who would they use them against? Nuking Taiwan makes their newly-captured territory worthless, while nuking the US will start a chain of nuclear escalation that probably ends in MAD. The US wouldn't use nukes unless they believed that they couldn't defend Taiwan without nukes, but Taiwan and the US have been investing heavily (as evidenced by this new ship) in making Taiwan defensible, and besides that, Taiwan's value (like its cities, chip fabs, etc) are vulnerable enough that they can be destroyed without nukes. Neither side wants a nuclear war.

greedo 5y ago
Other than selling some largely obsolete aircraft and conducting a few joint training missions, the US has definitely NOT been investing heavily in making Taiwan defensible. Especially when you consider that the US Navy will be the primary tool used to defend Taiwan, and the US government has been forcing the Navy to focus on supporting the Army in the mideast, as opposed to oh, deterring other navies?
myrandomcomment 5y ago
The sinking of a US fleet would result in the same public reaction as that Pearl Harbor. The US would not backdown and China knows that, which is why the current status will likely not change.