World View: Iran's Navy Chief Says He Can Sink an American Aircraft Carrier in 50 Seconds

This morning’s key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com

• Another terrorist attack on a railway station in China
• China makes plans for the collapse of North Korea’s regime
• Iran’s navy chief says he can sink an American aircraft carrier in 50 seconds

Another terrorist attack on a railway station in China

Six people were injured in a knife attack at a railway station in thesouthern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou late Tuesday night. This isthe third high-profile attack at a Chinese railway station in a littlemore than two months. On March 1, several attackers with kniveskilled 29 civilians and injured another 143 at a railway station inthe southwestern city of Junming. And on April 30, three people werekilled and 79 injured in a knife attack in Urumqi, capital of Xinjiangprovince in northwestern China, the home of China’s mostly MuslimUighur minority.

As in the previous two cases, the perpetrators in this case areassumed to be terrorists from the Uighur minority. Even thoughthey’re using “low-tech” weapons, the Uighur separatists appear to begetting more sophisticated in proving that they can strike at anyplace and time of their choosing. Some of the most militantseparatist Uighurs have been training with jihadist organizations inAfghanistan and Pakistan. As Nato troops pull out of Afghanistan thisyear, it’s likely that many militants fighting there will return toChina. Xinhua and Guardian (London)

China makes plans for the collapse of North Korea’s regime

Japan’s Kyodo news service has obtained documents outlining China’splans in case the North Korea regime collapses. Of special concern isa massive outflow of refugees and military personnel into China. Therefugees will be interned in camps, with political or military figuresassigned to special camps where they can be watched closely, toprevent them from activities such as directing military activities.However, the document makes no mention of China’s military enteringNorth Korea, which would cause a repeat of the 1950s Korean War.Kyodo (Tokyo) and The Diplomat

Iran’s navy chief says he can sink an American aircraft carrier in 50 seconds

A couple of weeks ago, Iran announced that it would be running militarywar games involving attacks on mock-ups of American warships and aircraftcarriers, including replica of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.On Monday, Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy ForcesCommander Brig. Gen. Ali Fadavi announced that their testshave been successful:

Today the Americans and the entire world know thatone of our operational goals is destroying US NavyForces… Aircraft carriers provide US airpower in combat;therefore it is natural that we want to sink them. 

…

Americans are unaware of many matters. Their research centersanalyzed the mock aircraft carrier in a common way. We have beenbuilding and sinking mock US destroyers, frigates, and cruisersfor years. We sank their models within 50 seconds even withvarious operational [counter] measures.

…

We will execute this regarding the mock aircraft carrier as wellbecause destroying, annihilating, and sinking US boats has andwill be in our plans.

Fadavi claimed that IRGC speed boats can travel at a top speed of 40knots, while US vessels are stuck at 31 knots. He added that Iranplanned to increase its boats’ speed to 80 knots, which he said wasthree times the speed of US destroyers.

However, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet, which isbased in Bahrain says:

Firing weapons at a stationary structure floating onpontoons is not a realistic representation of having thecapability to target a 100,000-ton warship… maneuvering atspeeds in excess of 30 knots.

AEI Iran Tracker and Military Times/AP

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