US ‘Next-Generation' Warship Flexes Muscles in West Pacific
A United States "next-generation multi-mission destroyer" is currently operating in the Western Pacific Ocean, Newsweek has learned. This comes as the Pentagon continues to deploy its most capable warships to the region with China expanding its naval power.
Lieutenant Victor Murkowski, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Officer, confirmed the deployment of USS Michael Monsoor in response to an inquiry, saying this is a "visible and powerful symbol" of the U.S. commitment to a "secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific."
Newsweek has emailed both the Chinese defense and foreign ministries for comment.
China is challenging America's naval dominance in the Western Pacific Ocean with the largest navy in the world by hull count. The Chinese military has expanded its reach and presence by building advanced warships and operating far from the country's coastline.
Facing the threat posed by the Chinese navy, which has over 370 ships and submarines, the U.S. has sent warships to the Western Pacific Ocean following upgrades, including a laser-armed destroyer and an aircraft carrier that has stealth fighter jets embarked aboard.
The deployment of the Michael Monsoor was first revealed in a set of photos released by the U.S. Navy on Friday, which showed the warship sailing in formation the previous day with a naval strike group led by USS Nimitz, the oldest U.S. aircraft carrier in service.
The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group was in the U.S. Seventh Fleet's area of operations, which covers the Western Pacific Ocean, for a scheduled deployment. The Nimitz replaced sister ship USS Carl Vinson as the latter was retasked by the Pentagon from the region to the Middle East.
The Michael Monsoor's presence in the Western Pacific Ocean "demonstrates our ability to integrate emerging technology into real-world operations to rapidly advance our ability to deter, defend, and if necessary, defeat aggression," Murkowski explained to Newsweek.
The warship is capable of operating independently or as part of a carrier strike group, a surface action group, or an expeditionary strike group, the spokesperson said in an email.
The nearly 16,000-ton destroyer was commissioned in 2019 and is homeported at Naval Base San Diego in California. It is the second ship of the Zumwalt-class, "the largest and most technologically advanced surface combatant in the world," the U.S. Navy said.
The Michael Monsoor and its two sister ships will be the first American vessels to be armed with hypersonic missiles, which can travel at over five times the speed of sound.
On March 28, the Michael Monsoor was spotted departing from its home port. It was not clear how long it will be deployed. It is expected to arrive at a shipyard in 2026 for the installation of tubes for launching hypersonic missiles, the U.S. Naval Institute-run USNI News reported.
This was not the first time the U.S. Navy has sent a stealthy Zumwalt-class vessel to the west of the International Date Line. In 2022, USS Zumwalt, the lead ship of its class, executed a three-month operational testing period in both the Eastern and Western Pacific Oceans.
Lieutenant Victor Murkowski, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Officer, said: "The U.S. Navy routinely operates throughout the Indo-Pacific in accordance with international law and remains focused on strengthening interoperability with allies and partners, enhancing maritime domain awareness, and supporting regional stability, in order to deter aggression and maintain peace and security in the region."
The U.S. Navy said: "The Zumwalt-class destroyer performs a range of deterrence, power projection, sea control, and command and control missions while allowing the Navy to evolve with new systems and missions…Designed to combat the threats of today as well as those of coming decades, these ships are equipped with numerous advanced technology and survivability systems."
It remains to be seen whether the Michael Monsoor will continue to operate as part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group during the latter's deployment in the Western Pacific Ocean.
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