After 286 days at sea, the US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln reportedly finally pulled into port, giving the outside world a close look at the carrier that has drawn widespread attention for months. What cameras captured was startling: a massive warship covered in rust, visibly exhausted. The rust was not just on the hull. It made visible the hidden costs and mounting strain of America’s overextended hegemony.
The Abraham Lincoln pulled into Laem Chabang in Thailand after a grueling and record-setting deployment in the Middle East. It was the carrier’s first port call since November last year. The crew is expected to use the stop to “rest and recharge” amid media reports of their deteriorating mental health concerns before returning to the home port in San Diego.
Yet when the Lincoln sailed into port, photos released by Thai media caught many observers by surprise. The almost 1,100-foot-long warship was heavily covered in rust from bow to stern. On social media, some users joked that it had “barely escaped with its hide from the Persian Gulf,” while others asked whether it was headed to the junkyard. Even the ship’s captain acknowledged to the media that the carrier “looks like a dirty car in a parking lot.”
Zhang Junshe, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that while the harsh marine environment can accelerate corrosion, the Lincoln’s extensive rust is a consequence of its prolonged, high-intensity deployment. With four of its total 11 carriers deployed to the Middle East for Washington’s war against Iran and others tied up in lengthy maintenance, the US Navy is forced to keep ships in service longer than it’s necessary.
Zhang further pointed to broader problems facing the US Navy, including limited shipyard capacity, weakened maintenance capabilities and a shortage of skilled workers, which worsened the situation.
For decades, the US has maintained a massive military footprint across key regions, including the Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Middle East. In its bid to sustain so-called “global leadership” through a far-flung network of military deployments, Washington has placed ever-heavier burdens on its vessels, personnel, and logistics systems.
But the Lincoln’s prolonged deployment in the Middle East, mounting maintenance delays and crew fatigue point to something far bigger than the condition of a single carrier. Together, they reveal the strain on a global military machine that has been running at full throttle for far too long. This is why the Lincoln’s rust appears so glaring.
Shen Yi, director of the International Research Institute of Global Cyberspace Governance at Fudan University, said the carrier’s current appearance stands in stark contrast to the hegemonic image long associated with US aircraft carriers and the US Navy as a whole. On the surface, the Lincoln’s rust seems a matter of equipment upkeep, but at a deeper level, it reflects serious problems in military morale, organizational capacity, and even the foundational support for US military power.
It’s a tangible manifestation of American hegemony’s “muscle atrophy,” exposing a widening disconnect between its hegemonic ambitions and actual capabilities, Shen said.
Aircraft carriers are more than just weapons of warfare. Former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once hailed US aircraft carriers as being “100,000 tons of diplomacy,” highlighting their role in exerting pressure, enhancing deterrence, and projecting American global power. This is why the US has frequently dispatched carriers to other regions to flex its military muscle and send deterrent signals to the world.
Today, however, this very “muscle” that once symbolized American military might is covered in rust.
The Lincoln’s rust serves as a reminder that each overseas military deployment exacts a heavy toll. Hegemonic expansion is never cost-free. When military power is overused, and when maintenance, logistics, and personnel support increasingly lag behind ever-expanding strategic ambitions, hegemony can transform from a source of strength into a burden on itself, eventually consuming and undermining the very power it was meant to project.
The USS Abraham Lincoln may be used to project strength to the world. But this time, the carrier appears to be projecting a different kind of power – the power of overextension, overuse and exhaustion. Rust can be scrubbed away and paint can be reapplied. But the structural fatigue of a system that relies excessively on military hegemony to sustain its global influence cannot be covered up with a fresh coat of paint.
The rust may be on the hull of the aircraft carrier, but it reflects the deeper predicament of an American hegemony stretched too far. Rust is contagious. Muscles weaken. And hegemonic ambition can consume the very power that feeds it.
EL USS ABRAHAM LINCOLN SE ESTÁ OXIDANDO. TAMBIÉN EL PODER HEGEMÓNICO DE EE. UU.
Tras 286 días en alta mar, el portaaviones de la Marina de EE. UU. *Abraham Lincoln* finalmente atracó en puerto, permitiendo al mundo exterior observar de cerca la nave que había acaparado la atención general durante meses. Lo que captaron las cámaras resultó impactante: un enorme buque de guerra cubierto de óxido y visiblemente desgastado. El óxido no se limitaba al casco; dejaba al descubierto los costes ocultos y la creciente tensión que soporta la hegemonía estadounidense, sometida a un esfuerzo excesivo.
El *Abraham Lincoln* llegó a Laem Chabang, en Tailandia, tras un despliegue extenuante y de duración récord en Oriente Medio. Fue la primera escala del portaaviones desde noviembre del año anterior. Se espera que la tripulación aproveche la parada para “descansar y reponer fuerzas” —en medio de informaciones mediáticas sobre el deterioro de su salud mental— antes de regresar a su base en San Diego.
Sin embargo, cuando el *Lincoln* entró en puerto, las fotografías difundidas por los medios tailandeses sorprendieron a muchos observadores. El buque de guerra, de casi 335 metros (1.100 pies) de eslora, presentaba una gran cantidad de óxido desde la proa hasta la popa. En las redes sociales, algunos usuarios bromearon diciendo que había logrado “escapar por los pelos del golfo Pérsico”, mientras que otros se preguntaban si se dirigía al desguace. Incluso el capitán del barco reconoció ante los medios que el portaaviones “parece un coche sucio en un aparcamiento”.
Zhang Junshe, experto chino en asuntos militares, declaró al *Global Times* que, si bien el duro entorno marino puede acelerar la corrosión, el extenso óxido del *Lincoln* es consecuencia de su prolongado despliegue de alta intensidad. Con cuatro de sus once portaaviones desplegados en Oriente Medio para la guerra de Washington contra Irán, y otros sometidos a largos periodos de mantenimiento, la Marina de EE. UU. se ve obligada a mantener los buques en servicio más tiempo del necesario.
Fuente: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202609/1369767.shtml
TIANWEN-3 MISSION ENTERS PROTOTYPE PHASE, PRIORITIZING SEARCH FOR MARTIAN LIFE TRACES: CHIEF SCIENTIST
China’s Tianwen-3 mission has entered the prototype development stage, with technological breakthroughs and scientific preparations advancing in parallel as China is moving closer to an unprecedented undertaking – drilling beneath the Martian surface, bringing samples back to Earth and searching them for possible traces of ancient life.
The mission, which could become humanity’s first Mars sample-return mission, has placed the search for potential signs of life at the top of its scientific agenda, reflecting China’s ambition to tackle one of planetary science’s most profound questions: whether life has ever existed beyond Earth, a leading Chinese scientist told the Global Times.
The Tianwen-3 mission, part of China’s planetary exploration program, is planned for launch around 2028, according to the Xinhua News Agency on April 24. It aims to bring Martian samples back to Earth around 2031. The Tianwen-3 spacecraft comprises a lander, an ascent vehicle, a service module, an orbiter and a return module.
“Making the search for potential traces of life on Mars our primary scientific objective was a carefully considered scientific choice,” Hou Zengqian, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and chief scientist of the Tianwen-3 mission, told the Global Times on the sidelines of the 2026 International Conference on Deep Space Exploration, also known as the Tiandu Forum, which opened in Hefei, East China’s Anhui Province.
A growing body of evidence suggests that early Mars once possessed liquid water, a denser atmosphere and a global magnetic field – conditions that could have supported a potentially habitable environment.
“We hope, through sophisticated analysis of the returned samples, to identify reliable signals of life,” Hou said. “If conclusive evidence is obtained, it would have profound implications for answering the major scientific question of whether life has ever existed beyond Earth.”
The mission will also investigate the evolution of Martian habitability, geology and internal structure as well as its atmosphere. These questions are closely interconnected, Hou noted, as life depends on a habitable environment, while habitability itself is shaped by the planet’s long-term geological and climatic evolution.
The scientific ambition, however, poses a series of formidable engineering and scientific challenges – from choosing where to land and obtaining well-preserved samples to distinguishing genuine biological signals from contamination.
Hou said one of the central challenges for the Tianwen-3 mission is ensuring that the returned samples have the greatest possible scientific value. Taking into account factors including geological age, the history of water activity, habitability and the potential for preserving biosignatures, the team has preliminarily identified eight candidate landing sites.
The mission also plans to drill as deep as about two meters below the Martian surface to collect subsurface samples, which are expected to be less affected by radiation, oxidation and weathering and could therefore better preserve potential traces of life and other pristine information about Mars, Hou said.
Planetary protection and contamination control will be another critical part of the mission. China plans to build what Hou described as the world’s first planetary protection laboratory, designed to prevent terrestrial microorganisms from contaminating Mars, safely isolate returned Martian samples, and minimize contamination of those samples by terrestrial organisms and materials.
Hou said technological development and construction of the necessary facilities are advancing, with the Tianwen-3 mission now entering the prototype development stage.
Regardless of whether signs of life are ultimately found, the returned Martian samples would carry irreplaceable scientific value, according to Hou.
“We hope to seize the initiative in Mars sample-return exploration,” Hou said. “It is not only a demonstration of national capabilities, but also China’s contribution to humanity’s understanding of Mars and the search for extraterrestrial life.”
Team up for the future
The emphasis on major scientific questions at this year’s Tiandu Forum was accompanied by another development highlighting the increasingly international dimension of China’s deep-space exploration program.
During the opening ceremony, the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory (DSEL) unveiled two joint laboratories established respectively with the National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand and the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade in Serbia, Global Times learned from the DSEL.
The China-Thailand and China-Serbia joint deep-space exploration laboratories represent another international science and technology cooperation platform established by the Deep Space Exploration Laboratory following its role in initiating the International Deep Space Exploration Association, it said.
The China-Thailand joint laboratory will focus on areas including lunar and deep-space technologies, lunar-surface robots, scientific payloads and micro- and nano-spacecraft, deep-space dynamics, planetary geology and cross-border very-long-baseline interferometry, or VLBI, observations.
Through such cooperation, researchers aim to develop advanced technological and scientific solutions for future China-Thailand deep-space exploration programs.
The China-Serbia joint laboratory, meanwhile, will draw on the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade’s more than a century of astronomical observations to conduct research in lunar and planetary science, solar and space environments and small-body dynamics.
The two sides also plan to conduct remote joint observations and share scientific data, with the goal of establishing a deep-space data-sharing platform.
Both laboratories will promote joint research projects, academic exchanges and mutual visits while helping train young scientists and engineers in deep-space science and technology.
Founded in 1887, the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade is one of the oldest astronomical observatories in the Balkans and Serbia’s professional astronomical research institution. The National Astronomical Research Institute of Thailand, meanwhile, is a major astronomical research institution in Southeast Asia and operates a 40-meter radio telescope, the largest of its kind in the region.
The establishment of the two laboratories is expected to further connect China’s expanding deep-space exploration program with international scientific resources and expertise, while providing new platforms for cooperation in lunar, planetary and broader deep-space research, per the DSEL.
LA MISIÓN TIANWEN-3 ENTRA EN FASE DE PROTOTIPO Y PRIORIZA LA BÚSQUEDA DE RASTROS DE VIDA MARCIANA, SEGÚN SU CIENTÍFICO JEFE
La misión china Tianwen-3 ha entrado en la etapa de desarrollo de prototipos; los avances tecnológicos y los preparativos científicos progresan en paralelo mientras China se acerca a una empresa sin precedentes: perforar el subsuelo marciano, traer muestras a la Tierra y analizarlas en busca de posibles indicios de vida antigua.
La misión, que podría convertirse en la primera de la humanidad destinada a traer muestras de Marte, ha situado la búsqueda de posibles señales de vida como prioridad de su agenda científica. Esto refleja la ambición de China de abordar una de las cuestiones más profundas de la ciencia planetaria: si alguna vez ha existido vida más allá de la Tierra, según declaró un destacado científico chino al *Global Times*.
La misión Tianwen-3, parte del programa de exploración planetaria de China, tiene previsto su lanzamiento hacia 2028, según informó la agencia de noticias Xinhua el 24 de abril. El objetivo es traer muestras marcianas a la Tierra alrededor de 2031. La nave espacial Tianwen-3 consta de un módulo de aterrizaje, un vehículo de ascenso, un módulo de servicio, un orbitador y un módulo de retorno.
“Establecer la búsqueda de posibles rastros de vida en Marte como nuestro objetivo científico principal fue una decisión científica cuidadosamente meditada”, declaró Hou Zengqian, académico de la Academia China de Ciencias y científico jefe de la misión Tianwen-3, al *Global Times* durante la Conferencia Internacional de Exploración del Espacio Profundo de 2026 —también conocida como Foro Tiandu—, inaugurada en Hefei, en la provincia oriental china de Anhui.
Fuente: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202609/1369763.shtml
CHINA AND PEACE-LOVING COUNTRIES TO CURB GROWTH OF JAPAN’S “NEO-MILITARISM” UNDER GUISE OF “NATIONAL NORMALIZATION”: FM GUO JIAKUN
China and other peace-loving countries will resolutely curb Japan’s neo-militarism growth under the guise of “national normalization,” Chinese FM spokesperson Guo Jiakun in response to media inquiry over Japan’s Defense Ministry releasing its 2026 Defense White Paper, which calls for further pursuing strike capabilities, and its record-high 8.89-trillion-yen request for the FY2027 defense budget.
Asked whether Japan’s moves challenge the outcomes of WWII, Guo said the establishment of September 3, the victory day in the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression and the World Anti-Fascist War, as a Chinese national memorial day is intended to remember the profound suffering caused by Japanese militarist aggression, remind people to remember history, and resolutely safeguard the outcomes of WWII and the postwar international order.
The spokesperson said that for a long time, Japan’s right-wing forces have sought to whitewash its history of aggression and break free from the postwar international arrangements and obligations. It must be stressed that a series of international documents, including the Cairo Declaration, the Potsdam Proclamation and the Instrument of Surrender of Japan legally established Japan’s status as a defeated country and clearly stipulated its obligations, including eliminating militarism, dismantling military industries, destroying its war-making capabilities and prohibiting rearmament. These postwar international arrangements uphold historical truth and international justice, build an institutional safeguard against the resurgence of militarism, and represent the consolidation of the gains of the victory of the World Anti-Fascist War.
“We warn Japan’s right-wing forces that the right path for Japan is to honor its international obligations, thoroughly eliminate the remnants of militarism and pursue peaceful development,” Guo added.
PORTAVOZ DEL MINISTERIO DE ASUNTOS EXTERIORES DE CHINA: CHINA Y OTROS PAÍSES AMANTES DE LA PAZ FRENTARÁN RESUELTAMENTE EL AUGE DEL NEOMILITARISMO JAPONES
Estas declaraciones se produjeron en respuesta a consultas de los medios sobre la publicación del Libro Blanco de Defensa de Japón para 2026 —que aboga por desarrollar aún más capacidades de ataque— y sobre la solicitud de un presupuesto de defensa récord de 8,89 billones de yenes para el año fiscal 2027.
Al ser preguntado si las acciones de Japón desafían los resultados de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, Guo señaló que la instauración del 3 de septiembre —día de la victoria en la Guerra de Resistencia del Pueblo Chino contra la Agresión Japonesa y en la Guerra Mundial Antifascista— como día conmemorativo nacional en China tiene como objetivo recordar el profundo sufrimiento causado por la agresión militarista japonesa, instar a la población a no olvidar la historia y salvaguardar firmemente los resultados de la Segunda Guerra Mundial y el orden internacional de la posguerra.
El portavoz afirmó que, desde hace tiempo, las fuerzas derechistas de Japón han intentado blanquear su historial de agresión y liberarse de los acuerdos y obligaciones internacionales establecidos tras la guerra. Cabe subrayar que una serie de documentos internacionales —entre ellos la Declaración de El Cairo, la Proclamación de Potsdam y el Acta de Rendición de Japón— establecieron legalmente el estatus de Japón como país derrotado y estipularon claramente sus obligaciones, tales como eliminar el militarismo, desmantelar las industrias militares, destruir sus capacidades bélicas y prohibir el rearme.
Fuente: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202609/1369742.shtml
Published twice per week by Nuevo Poder. Articles and op-eds focusing on geopolitical issues around Indo-Pacific area
Editor: LW, senior fellow of REDCAEM and CESCOS
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