Viewpoint: Battle of Java Sea Holds Crucial Lessons for Today

[rangerrebew]

Viewpoint: Battle of Java Sea Holds Crucial Lessons for Today
12/30/2020
 

Naval History and Heritage Command

Speaking in October this year on the readiness of U.S. armed forces, then-Secretary of Defense Mark Esper referenced Task Force Smith — a unit decimated in the early days of the Korean War as a result of being sent into combat with insufficient training, inadequate munitions and equipment, and understrength manning.

This spectacular battlefield failure gave birth to a new rallying cry: “No more Task Force Smiths!”

As the military ramps up for great power competition, the lessons of Task Force Smith still resonate within the Pentagon. After two decades of focusing on terrorists and other non-state opponents, the U.S. Joint Force must once again consider battle with major state powers. None of the services wants to find itself as unready for that kind of fight as was Task Force Smith. Yet each faces challenges.

https://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/articles/2020/12/30/battle-of-java-sea-holds-crucial-lessons-for-today

[PeteS in CA]

From the OP article:

As today’s U.S. Navy ponders how it might return to these waters in a future war against China, the lessons of Java Sea are especially relevant. Access to ports, the distribution of supplies and maintenance facilities, familiarity with the region, and effective working relationships with partners will all bear on the success of combat operations against the People’s Liberation Army Navy.

While the place was not predictable, the demise of the USN’s Asiatic Fleet, if it tried to defend territory, was predictable. It was a motley assemblage, IIRC, of one modernish heavy cruiser (USS Houston), an obsolete light cruiser (USS Marblehead), several obsolete four-piper destroyers, and a mix of obsolete (S-Boats!) and modernish submarines (two or three or four classes earlier than the Gato class). Yes, they were under-trained (an apt point the article made), yes they had had no experience working with what little forces the Brits and Free Dutch had, and yes there were poor repair and logistics facilities. But the biggest problem the Asiatic Fleet had was that it was too weak and largely obsolete to be meaningful opposition to the IJN's Kido Butai and far heavier surface forces. The Asiatic Fleet also had no meaningful land-based air support in the face of the IJN's and IJA's land-based air forces. They were a weak force positioned in the IJN's back yard.

IMO, the Asiatic Fleet should have been withdrawn to Brisbane or Perth immediately, US Marblehead and the four-pipers sent home "immediately", and the S-Boats replaced as soon as practical.

[skeeter]

From the OP article:

While the place was not predictable, the demise of the USN’s Asiatic Fleet, if it tried to defend territory, was predictable. It was a motley assemblage, IIRC, of one modernish heavy cruiser (USS Houston), an obsolete light cruiser (USS Marblehead), several obsolete four-piper destroyers, and a mix of obsolete (S-Boats!) and modernish submarines (two or three or four classes earlier than the Gato class). Yes, they were under-trained (an apt point the article made), yes they had had no experience working with what little forces the Brits and Free Dutch had, and yes there were poor repair and logistics facilities. But the biggest problem the Asiatic Fleet had was that it was too weak and largely obsolete to be meaningful opposition to the IJN's Kido Butai and far heavier surface forces. The Asiatic Fleet also had no meaningful land-based air support in the face of the IJN's and IJA's land-based air forces. They were a weak force positioned in the IJN's back yard.

IMO, the Asiatic Fleet should have been withdrawn to Brisbane or Perth immediately, US Marblehead and the four-pipers sent home "immediately", and the S-Boats replaced as soon as practical.

The fate of the US Asiatic fleet, especially of the USS Houston, would be a movie worth making. It’s annihilation and the deaths/imprisonment of its sailors had nothing to do with military strategy or tactics and everything to do with Washington foreign policy formulated by the guys in pinstriped suits.

I cannot imagine being a sailor on the Houston during those days leading up to the Japanese slamming the door shut in the West Indies, knowing the way was clear and escaping to Australia meant living to fight another day, but staying off Java because FDR had promised the Dutch his fleet would stay with them to the end to protect their colony. And that they did.

[skeeter]

BTW the obscene post script to the battle of the Java Sea is many of the wrecks and their honored dead have been desecrated by Indonesian and Chinese salvage companies. The HMS Exeter, for example, has completely disappeared, only a giant dent where she lay on the sea floor remains.

[jafo2010]

We often talk about the threat of China, yet the USA continues to educate it's enemy, with 360,000 students from China in the USA.  When one considers the potential threat of having that many from a would be enemy in the USA, all over the country, where are the heads of the folks in our government?  Up their posteriors is where.

This kind of thinking leaves the country vulnerable to massive attack.  Makes no sense.

And now we have Traitor Joe soon to be POTUS, a man that will be a pawn of the CCP.  God help us.

[skeeter]

We often talk about the threat of China, yet the USA continues to educate it's enemy, with 360,000 students from China in the USA.  When one considers the potential threat of having that many from a would be enemy in the USA, all over the country, where are the heads of the folks in our government?  Up their posteriors is where.

This kind of thinking leaves the country vulnerable to massive attack.  Makes no sense.

And now we have Traitor Joe soon to be POTUS, a man that will be a pawn of the CCP.  God help us.

our leaders are not Americans. If Trump stands out for no other reason it is because he is patriotic.