U.S. to Move Stealth Destroyers to Pacific Region

The U.S. will move its latest stealth destroyers to the Pacific region to counter unease over Chinese muscle-flexing, a senior American Navy admiral said Tuesday, while urging Australia’s navy to consider deploying new warships in U.S.-led “hunter-killer” patrol groups.

Rear Admiral Christopher J. Paul, deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific surface fleet, sought to reassure Australian allies at a naval conference in Canberra that his country was determined to maintain a strong Pacific presence by moving more warships to the region, including powerful Zumwalt Class destroyers.

He also said a new generation of Australian warships, including missile destroyers and large amphibious warships capable of carrying 1,000 troops and helicopters, might fit into a more muscular naval doctrine called “distributed lethality,” recently announced by the U.S. Navy.

Read more