Coronavirus-struck aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt could hamstring US Navy’s readiness

The Navy, the military service hit hardest by the coronavirus, scrambled to contain its first at-sea outbreak, with at least two dozen infected aboard the USS Theodore Roosevelt, one of 11 active aircraft carriers whose mission is central to the Pentagon’s strategy for deterring war with China and Iran.

The Roosevelt and its contingent of warplanes may be sidelined for days, sitting pier side in Guam as the entire crew – more than 5,000 – is tested. Navy leaders said the carrier could return to duty at any time if required, but the sudden setback is seen as a harbinger of more trouble to come.

In Asia, a carrier presence is central to what the Pentagon has identified as a fundamental shift from fighting insurgent and extremist conflicts in the Middle East to a return to “great power competition.” That means, principally, a bigger focus on China, including its militarisation of disputed areas of the South China Sea.