The American aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in the South China Sea in 2023. As of November 2025, Nimitz is back in the South China Sea. The presence of the US Navy's nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with her escorts is a strong means of deterrence and a counterweigh to Chinese claims in the area. Photo : © US Navy.

 

Part Two. American sea power. A case study: the South China Sea.

 

1 | What is sea power ? Why is it important today (and more than ever) ?

Although the US Navy still has a significant edge over the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN, the Chinese navy), the latter now has a larger number of vessels and is gaining momentum. Another source of concern is that the PLAN could achieve local superiority in the waters adjacent to its territory, like in the South China sea or the strait of Taiwan, while US naval assets are scattered all over the world. As of 2025, China has three aircraft carriers (all non-nuclear powered) and the fourth one is nearing completion.

➣ Subjects (intended for classroom use) on American Sea Power and the South China Sea :

  1. The South China Sea. The economic stakes from the standpoint of the US energy information administration and the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the strait of Malacca.
  2. Tensions in the South China Sea: a cartoon from a Filipino newspaper and the viewpoint of the Chinese ministry of defence.

November 7 and 14, 2025

➪ Subject № 1 The South China Sea. The economic stakes from the standpoint of the US energy information administration and the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt in the strait of Malacca. (Annotated in class).

 

Breaking news

November 7, 2025

The flight deck of Fujian, featuring the carrier's “island” with a state-of-the-art phased-array RADAR, a J-15 fighter (the copy of a Russian design), a KJ-600 early warning aircraft and a 5th generation J-35 stealth fighter.

➪ READ : China commissions the Fujian, its third aircraft carrier, and the first one with CATOBAR (Catapult Assisted Take-Off, Barrier Arrested Recovery) capabilities. Catapults enable launches of heavier aircraft with more fuel or ordnance (ammunition). Fujian is also the second aircraft carrier equipped with EMALS (ElectroMagnetic Aircraft Launch System). The first EMALS-equipped carrier is USS Gerald Ford, the latest American aircraft carrier. While all American carriers are nuclear-powered (which increases their range), Fujian depends on conventional engines. Her commission, however, represents a milestone in the current naval build-up of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The US Navy has never met such a challenge since Japan developed its carrier fleet in the 1930s, which eventually led to... Pearl Harbor.

November 21, 2025

 

❑ Subject № 2 (partially annotated) Tensions in the South China Sea: a cartoon from a Filipino newspaper and the viewpoint of the Chinese ministry of defence.

November 28, 2025

❑ Subject № 2 (fully annotated) Tensions in the South China Sea: a cartoon from a Filipino newspaper and the viewpoint of the Chinese ministry of defence.