American forces hammered Iranian warships in their ports and in waters near Iran at the start of Epic Fury. This seems like a test for coping with China's large and growing fleet.
America smashed up a number of Iranian warships at the start of the America-Israel attack on Iran:
CENTCOM shows that the campaign has damaged or destroyed over 155 Iranian vessels. We're clearly getting down to the small stuff. Except for two (?) Iranian navy ships sitting out the war in India.Destruction of the Iranian Navy and the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy is a priority of the ongoing Operation Epic Fury, Pentagon officials have said since the start of the operation.
Naval targets includes Iranian anti-ship missiles kept in safe bunkers that American bunker busters destroyed.
Of course, Iran has lots of smaller coastal assets that can do damage in the narrow Strait of Hormuz. But the damage inflicted is still a big deal.
Well, hello target-rich environment:
China’s coast is well within range of American bases in the western Pacific. Add in American land-based missiles and aircraft placed on the Philippines and even Taiwan, and China’s ports and shipyards are well within range of American strike assets.
Truly, the Iran War of 2026 is a good test of this capability. And we may get a second production line for the B-21 that could strike in the western Pacific and the mainland from distant less vulnerable bases.
All is not lost in INDOPACOM
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NOTE: Image from the article.
