U.S. needs nimbler Asia posture to blunt China's punch: study

Experts call for dispersed forces, smaller carriers in 'active denial' proposal

20220622 Abraham Lincoln jet

An F/A-18E Super Hornet takes off from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in the Philippines Sea. The Quincy study group suggests a decisive shift away from carriers. © U.S. Navy

KEN MORIYASU, Nikkei Asia diplomatic correspondent

TOKYO -- If the U.S. and China were to engage in a battle midway between the two countries, where time and geography were irrelevant, the American side still has superiority. But in reality, only a fraction of U.S. forces -- roughly 10 to 15% of its naval and air assets -- are deployed in the Western Pacific.

If China were to attempt to take Taiwan by force, its geographic proximity and dramatic military expansion make it increasingly likely that Beijing will have an advantage in the early stages of a conflict.

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