US-China rivalry: will America’s new ‘floating base’ heighten tensions?
- USS Miguel Keith will allow America to set up a sea base almost anywhere in the world, security expert says
- US Navy’s new vessel can accommodate about 100 sailors and 44 civilians and has a range of more than 9,500 nautical miles
However, as the base is vulnerable to attack, it will primarily be used in low-intensity conflict and non-war missions, they said.
The assessment came after the USS Miguel Keith, a US$525 million, 785-foot expeditionary mobile base, was commissioned into active service with the US Navy on May 8. Its first destination will be Saipan in the US commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Pentagon said.
The vessel, which can carry about 100 sailors and 44 civilians, has a range of more than 9,500 nautical miles and a top speed of 15 knots. Its flight deck is big enough to accommodate the navy’s largest helicopters, the MH-53, and Marine Corps F-35B jets.
The Miguel Keith is a semi-submersible, flexible modular platform that provides the navy with the capability to perform large-scale logistics movements such as the transfer of vehicles and equipment from sea to shore.