Chinese Navy Announces Major Warfighting Milestone
The Chinese navy, currently the largest in the world by hull count, has recently reached a major milestone by equipping each of three fleets with an oceangoing hospital ship, which experts claim can be deployed simultaneously to support different combat fronts.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Defense Ministry for further comment by email.
China has more than 370 naval vessels, organized into fleets assigned to the Northern Theater Command, which is based in the Yellow Sea, the Eastern Theater Command, which is based in the East China Sea, and the Southern Theater Command that faces the South China Sea.
China has ongoing territorial disputes in the East and South China seas with Japan and the Philippines, respectively. Meanwhile, the Eastern Theater Command is responsible for military operations concerning Taiwan, a self-governed island claimed by Beijing.
While the Chinese military has commissioned three hospital ships, the United States currently operates two, serving as what the Navy calls "afloat, mobile, acute surgical medical facilities" to support military, disaster relief, and humanitarian missions worldwide.
In a video released on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, the Chinese military's media wing reported that the third indigenously built 10,000-ton-class oceangoing hospital ship, CNS Auspicious Ark, recently held a medical rescue exercise in the Yellow Sea.
The newly unveiled hospital ship has been assigned to the Northern Theater Command, the Chinese navy confirmed on Friday, adding that it is capable of providing medical services to deployed naval task groups and troops stationed on remote islands and reefs.
In addition to the Auspicious Ark, its two sister ships, CNS Peace Ark and CNS Silk Road Ark, are assigned to the Eastern and Southern Theater Commands, respectively. Each ship is equipped with 300 patient beds, the state-run China Daily reported.
According to the state-run Global Times, the new ship is equipped with "cutting-edge medical and health support facilities," including eight operating rooms. It can provide "early-stage treatment and specialized care" during wartime to reduce combat losses.
Chinese military expert Cao Weidong told the China Central Television that each of the three theater command fleets now has its own hospital ship for support, which can be redeployed to other theaters if the intensity of war or military operations increases.
With the introduction of the third floating hospital, the Chinese navy is able to provide health care to troops taking part in escort missions in the Gulf of Aden, as well as those stationed on islands and reefs that scattered across the South China Sea, Cao explained.
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military expert, told the Global Times: "[The three Chinese hospital ships] represent a key indicator of the [Chinese] navy's modernized medical support capabilities. Their commissioning significantly elevates the overall standard of naval healthcare services."
The China Central Television reported: "The Auspicious Ark not only has outstanding advantages in field surgery, capable of handling special injuries such as blast wounds and burns, but it is also able to respond to trauma and infection cases caused by sudden natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis, demonstrating its advantages in humanitarian rescue operations."
It remains to be seen whether China will deploy one of its oceangoing hospital ships for an overseas humanitarian medical mission under Mission Harmony this year. The most recent deployment was carried out by the Peace Ark from last June to January.
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