The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of Us Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
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Dirty Little Secrets
The Varyag Saga Continues
by James Dunnigan
June 14, 2005
Discussion Board on this DLS topic
The mystery of the aircraft carrier Varyag continues. After rusting at dockside
in China for more than three years, the former Russian Varyag has recently been
moved to a dry dock at Dalien (formerly Dairen of Russo-Japanese War fame). The
ship is being subject to some maintenance. She is being sand blasted (to get rid
of all that rust) and a scaffolding has appeared around her superstructure. The
actual extent of the work beyond that is unclear. The ship is under guard, and
the guards will only say that the maintenance work is for military
purposes.
Old and suffering from years of neglect, the ship could be
restored to a serviceable condition at considerable expense. Although there is
some speculation that the Chinese want to put her into service as a proper
carrier, it is more likely that she may be used as a helicopter carrier, or as a
large, fast auxiliary to provide logistical support to an amphibious effort
against Taiwan, or as a training platform in order to gain experience for the
design and construction of a new carrier to be built from the keel
up.
Whatever the case, the Chinese aren’t scrapping the Varyag. Yet. But
they aren’t talking much either.
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