Latest news with #MichaelMonsoor
Newsweek
23-04-2025
- General
- Newsweek
Map Follows US Stealth Warship Through Pacific Waters
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A map by Newsweek shows that USS Michael Monsoor, an American warship built with stealth features, has been underway in the Pacific Ocean after departing its home port in late March. The United States Seventh Fleet previously confirmed the Michael Monsoor's deployment to Newsweek, saying its presence in the Western Pacific Ocean "highlights the U.S. Navy's commitment to maintaining peace, security, and freedom of navigation in the Indo-Pacific." Why It Matters The deployment of the Michael Monsoor, which is a Zumwalt-class destroyer, comes as the U.S. seeks to maintain its naval dominance in the Indo-Pacific region. China is expanding its naval reach and presence with a fleet of over 370 vessels, the world's largest by hull count. The Michael Monsoor and its two sister ships, USS Zumwalt and USS Lyndon B. Johnson, have a rather unusual appearance compared with other U.S. destroyers. They are designed with a tumblehome hull to reduce radar reflection, making them more difficult to detect. The Zumwalt-class stealth destroyers are now undergoing major modification, which will see them replace one of their two 155 mm naval guns with four launch tubes for hypersonic missiles, a superfast weapon that can travel at over five times the speed of sound. What To Know The nearly 16,000-ton Michael Monsoor, which currently has 80 tubes for launching a variety of missiles in its original armament configuration, departed its home port at Naval Base San Diego on March 28, according to photos released by the U.S. Navy. The destroyer USS Michael Monsoor departs Naval Base San Diego on March 28, 2025. The destroyer USS Michael Monsoor departs Naval Base San Diego on March 28, 2025. Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Indra Beaufort/U.S. Navy Following a westward transit across the Eastern Pacific Ocean, the stealth destroyer arrived at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii on April 3. A week later, it was operating in the Western Pacific Ocean, which is part of the U.S. Seventh Fleet's area of operations. The Michael Monsoor was seen sailing with the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz in a photo taken on April 10. The destroyer can operate independently or as part of a carrier strike group, Lieutenant Victor Murkowski, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Officer, told Newsweek. On April 17, the Michael Monsoor made a port call on the island of Guam, the westernmost U.S. territory, which forms part of the Second Island Chain, part of a U.S. containment strategy designed to restrict China's military access to the Pacific Ocean in the event of conflict. According to a website that records U.S. naval vessels' deployments, the Michael Monsoor moored at Naval Base Guam for a four-day visit. The U.S. Navy said the destroyer is now assigned to Destroyer Squadron 15, the U.S. Seventh Fleet's principal surface force. The Nimitz left Guam with destroyers USS Gridley and USS Lenah Sutcliffe Higbee on Monday, following a scheduled port visit that began on Friday. The Nimitz Carrier Strike Group is currently operating in the Western Pacific, the U.S. Navy said. What People Are Saying Lieutenant Victor Murkowski, U.S. Seventh Fleet Public Affairs Officer, told Newsweek: "The Michael Monsoor is a visible and powerful symbol of the U.S. commitment to a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific and its presence in the theater demonstrates our ability to integrate emerging technology into real-world operations to rapidly advance our ability to deter, defend, and if necessary, defeat aggression." The U.S. Navy said: "Stealthy, powerful, and lethal, the Navy created the Zumwalt-class to bridge from current needs to future capabilities, adding space and power accommodating systems not yet imagined but designed to counter adversaries that challenge us now and in the decades to come ... these ships are equipped with numerous advanced technology and survivability systems." What Happens Next It was not immediately clear whether the Michael Monsoor will continue operating as part of the Nimitz Carrier Strike Group. It remains to be seen if the stealth destroyer will transit the contested waters in the Western Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea.
Miami Herald
14-04-2025
- Politics
- Miami Herald
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. Related Articles One Month of US Airstrikes Fail to Stop HouthisTrump: Iran Decision Coming 'Very Quickly'How to Watch Canada vs. United States: Live Stream 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship, TV ChannelMap Shows How Trump, Putin and Xi Could Carve Up the Globe 2025 NEWSWEEK DIGITAL LLC.
