Designed for defense and escort in the seathe frigates are fundamental ships in the naval forces of numerous countries. Their balance between offensive capacity, mobility and autonomy makes them essential for maritime security and territories protection.
Both frigates like destroyers are the most common warships worldwide. Most countries have at least one frigate in their naval fleet. However, surprisingly, the United States, the greatest military power in the world, has no active frigate.
US Navy’s problem with frigates
Over the years, The United States has tried to incorporate frotbut without success. The main reason lies in the Us Navy War Doctrine, which is focused on global oceanic domain.
In this context, the American naval strategy prioritizes the use of aircraft carrierscruises and destroyers, which offer greater offensive and defensive capacity compared to frigates, which are smaller and have lower weapons capacity.
The United States Naval Domain
According to him Global Firepower Indexwhich evaluates the military capacity of 145 countries, the United States is the first world power. Its supremacy is due to its advanced defense technology, its incomparable air force and its naval power.
The United States leads in the quantity and capacity of war ships:
- 81 destroyers, as many in the world.
- Inserts and high range.
- Highly advanced submarines.
A significant number of corvettes, only behind China and Russia.
The withdrawal of American frigates
The last Active frigates in the US Navy were those of the Oliver Hazard Perry classdesigned for anti -submarine and escort war. However, these were removed without adequate substitution, leaving the United States without frigates in their arsenal.
A strategic error?
While Other military powers have continued to bet on frigates As an essential element of its armed, the United States has preferred to focus on larger and more powerful ships. This raises the question: is it a successful strategy or a weakness that could affect its operational capacity in future conflicts?
As the Geopolitical situation evolvesit may be necessary for the US Navy to reconsider its posture and look for new solutions to integrate modern frigates into its fleet.