To Contain China, the U.S. Bets on a 40-Year-Old Ship


一艘270英尺长的美国海岸警卫队驱逐舰被调往太平洋，这是拜登政府与中国争夺对该地区影响力的最新举措之一。


几个月前，哈里特·莱恩号从美国东海岸被调往太平洋。

Channing Meyer中尉站在一艘270英尺长的美国海岸警卫队驱逐舰的舰桥上，列举了这艘船龄已有40年的舰艇最近的升级。 6park.com
Standing on the bridge of a 270-foot U.S. Coast Guard cutter, Lt. Channing Meyer listed the recent upgrades to the 40-year-old ship. 6park.com
    
一门新的甲板炮，可靠的发电设备，改进的电子导航系统，还有更完善的互联网连接。 6park.com
A new deck gun. Reliable power generators. An improved electronic navigation system. And better internet connectivity. 6park.com
    
“这东西运行起来就像昨天建造的一样，”不久之后，他在哈里特·莱恩号(Harriet Lane)的一个走廊里说。“甚至可能更好。”这艘船停靠在澳大利亚北部城市凯恩斯的一个海军基地。 6park.com
“This thing runs like it was built yesterday,” he said a short time later inside a hallway on the Harriet Lane, which was docked at a naval base in the northern Australian city of Cairns. “Maybe even better.”


Channing Meyer中尉站在哈里特·莱恩号上。

几个月前，美国海岸警卫队将哈里特·莱恩号从美国东海岸调往太平洋，这是拜登(Biden)政府与中国争夺对该地区影响力的最新举措之一。美国官员将海岸警卫队视为在太平洋地区强大的软实力工具，该地区部署有美国的军事资产还有战略水道，在围绕台湾问题的任何军事对抗中可能起到重要作用。 6park.com
The Coast Guard transferred the Harriet Lane to the Pacific from the U.S. East Coast a few months ago, part of the Biden administration’s latest move to compete with China for influence in the region. U.S. officials view the Coast Guard as a potent soft-power tool in the Pacific, which is home to U.S. military assets and strategic waterways that could be crucial in a military confrontation over Taiwan. 6park.com
    
不过，美国海岸警卫队之所以部署哈里特·莱恩号这样的改装舰艇，是因为建造一种新的更现代化的新型舰艇需要数年时间，而且由于延期和成本增加而停滞不前。此外，官员们表示，美国海岸警卫队的入伍人员比核定人数少了10%，人员短缺的严重程度在海岸警卫队233年历史上实属罕见，预计今年情况还会恶化。 6park.com
But the Coast Guard is deploying retrofitted vessels such as the Harriet Lane because a plan to build a new class of more modern ships will take years—and has been bogged down by delays and cost increases. At the same time, the Coast Guard’s enlisted workforce is 10% below its authorized strength, one of the largest shortages in its 233-year history, and it is expected to worsen this year, officials said. 6park.com
  
与此同时，中国用20多艘前海军护卫舰加强了本国海警力量，并愈发坚持其在南中国海(South China Sea, 中国称：南海)的领土主张，中国渔船在南海兼具海上民兵的角色。中国政府还积极寻求在太平洋地区的影响力，最近取得了一些成功，比如今年1月说服小岛国瑙鲁与台湾断绝外交关系。 6park.com
China, meanwhile, has reinforced its coast guard with more than 20 former navy corvettes and is increasingly asserting its territorial claims in the South China Sea, where Chinese fishing vessels double as a maritime militia. Beijing is also actively seeking influence in the Pacific, after scoring recent wins such as persuading the tiny island nation of Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in January. 6park.com
    
一些分析人士说，某些中国海警船的舰炮射程可能比哈里特·莱恩号更远，但美国在太平洋部署该舰船仍有可能取得一些成效。美方的目标不是在公海对峙中直接挑战中国海警，比如中国和菲律宾在南中国海上演的互杠。哈里特·莱恩号的主要作用是穿梭于太平洋岛国之间，提供执法支持和训练。 6park.com
Certain Chinese coast guard vessels may have longer-range guns compared with the Harriet Lane, some analysts said, but the move could still pay off. The aim isn’t to directly take on China’s coast guard in high-seas confrontations, such as the ones playing out between China and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Instead, the Harriet Lane’s main role will be to shuttle between Pacific island nations, offering law-enforcement support and training.


在菲律宾武装部队提供的这张照片中，一艘菲律宾补给船被中国船只发射的水炮击中。

美国官员希望通过扩大海岸警卫队的存在可以有助于与岛屿国家建立更紧密关系，并说服这些岛国与华盛顿合作是更好的选择，而不是与北京合作。美国海岸警卫队船只的白色船体被认为比海军船只更柔和，是与没有自己军队的小国打交道的理想选择。 6park.com
U.S. officials hope the increased Coast Guard presence will help build closer relations with island nations—and convince them they are better off joining with Washington instead of Beijing. The white hulls of Coast Guard ships are seen as a softer touch than Navy ships and ideal for dealing with smaller nations that don’t have their own militaries. 6park.com
   
“很多时候，他们拥有与美国海军不同的资源，”资深美国外交官、现为美国驻悉尼总领事的克里斯汀·埃尔德(Christine Elder)在哈里特·莱恩号的甲板上说。“我们的海岸警卫队拥有独特的装备来执行这些任务。”该舰将以夏威夷为基地，但在为期79天的首次履新巡逻中停靠在凯恩斯。 6park.com
“They have different resources than the Navy a lot of times,” Christine Elder, a longtime U.S. diplomat who is now a consul general in Australia, said from the deck of the Harriet Lane—which will be based in Hawaii but stopped in Cairns on its inaugural 79-day patrol in its new role. “Our Coast Guard is uniquely equipped to look at these missions.” 6park.com
    
美国海岸警卫队目前有11艘巡逻舰驻扎在夏威夷和关岛，关岛是美国在西太平洋的领土。其中一些舰艇还在太平洋岛国执行任务，但哈里特·莱恩号的航程和续航力都超过了许多舰艇，它将成为海岸警卫队加大对岛国支持力度的旗舰船只。 6park.com
The Coast Guard now has 11 cutters based in Hawaii and Guam, the U.S. territory in the western Pacific. Some of those ships also conduct missions to Pacific island nations, but the Harriet Lane has greater range and endurance than many of them—and will be the flagship of the Coast Guard’s efforts to increase support to island nations.


哈里特·莱恩号的主要作用是穿梭于太平洋岛国之间，提供执法支持和训练。

据分析人士称，相比之下，中国海警更关注南中国海。不过，中国最大的舰艇可以部署至太平洋更深处，如果中国与更多太平洋岛国谈判安全协议，这种部署可能会变得更加容易。 6park.com
China’s coast guard, in contrast, is more focused on the South China Sea, according to analysts. But its largest ships can deploy deeper into the Pacific, which could be made easier if China negotiates security deals with more Pacific island nations. 6park.com
   
五角大楼2023年发布的中国军力报告称，中国海警拥有150多艘区域和远洋巡逻舰，有50艘可用于有限近海行动的区域战斗巡逻艇，以及300艘海岸巡逻艇。 6park.com
The Pentagon’s 2023 report on China’s military said China’s coast guard has more than 150 regional and oceangoing patrol vessels, 50 regional patrol combatants that can be used for limited offshore operations, and 300 coastal patrol craft. 6park.com
    
“如果发生彼此开火的战斗，一艘海岸警卫队巡逻舰并不能起到多大作用，”小布什(George W. Bush)政府前官员、现任悉尼大学(University of Sydney)美国研究中心首席执行官Mike Green说。“这样做的目的其实不是为了增强美国的火力。” 6park.com
“One Coast Guard cutter is not going to really make much of a difference in a shooting war,” said Mike Green, a former official in the George W. Bush administration who is now chief executive at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. “This really isn’t about increasing U.S. firepower.” 6park.com
   
太平洋岛国通常没有足够的资源在大片海域巡逻，而像哈里特·莱恩号这样的美国海岸警卫队舰船可以帮助它们打击非法捕鱼和跨国犯罪。在一些国家，美国海岸警卫队会带上当地的执法人员，代表执法人员进行登船检查。 6park.com
Pacific island nations often don’t have the resources to patrol swaths of the ocean, and Coast Guard vessels like the Harriet Lane help them fight illegal fishing and transnational crime. In some nations, the Coast Guard takes along local law enforcement officers and conducts boardings on their behalf. 6park.com
    
海岸警卫队的存在还让美国有机会监控中国的捕鱼船队；中国政府可以利用这些船队对各岛国施加经济压力并营造影响力。非法捕鱼是各岛国非常担心的问题，而中国船只曾有过在一些岛屿附近非法捕鱼的记录，尽管北京方面已表示中国渔民必须遵守当地法律。 6park.com
The Coast Guard presence also gives the U.S. the opportunity to monitor China’s fishing fleets, which Beijing can use to put economic pressure on island states and cultivate influence. Illegal fishing is a big concern for island nations, and Chinese vessels have been documented illegally fishing around some islands—though Beijing has said its fishers must comply with local laws. 6park.com
   
哈德逊研究所(Hudson Institute)亚太安全主席、曾在美国海军预备队从事情报工作的Patrick Cronin说：“通过为小岛国提供另一种保护其生计和主权的方式，从而间接阻止中国进入太平洋岛屿，这是美国与其他盟国共同遏制中国海上胁迫进一步南移的一条途径。” 6park.com
“Indirectly blocking Chinese access in the Pacific islands by offering an alternative way for small island countries to protect their livelihoods and sovereignty is one way the U.S., working with other allies, can curb Chinese maritime coercion from migrating further south,” said Patrick Cronin, Asia-Pacific security chair at the Hudson Institute, who served as an intelligence officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve.


菲律宾海岸警卫队的一名成员在南中国海朝中国船只起飞一架无人机。

不过，美国海岸警卫队舰队的老化是个问题。政府问责办公室(Government Accountability Office)的一份报告列出了中型耐力驱逐舰在推进系统、动力系统、腐蚀和霉菌方面存在的问题。例如，过时发电机的备件很难买到，而维修时间可能长达10个月。中型耐力驱逐舰包括哈里特·莱恩号和一款较小的210英尺长驱逐舰。 6park.com
But the aging Coast Guard fleet is a problem. A Government Accountability Office report outlined issues with propulsion, power systems, corrosion and mold on the medium-endurance cutters, the class of ship that includes the Harriet Lane and a smaller 210-foot version. Spare parts for obsolete generators, for example, are hard to get, and repairs can take 10 months. 6park.com
   
报告称，有一次，一张船员睡觉的床铺正上方的管道上长出了霉菌。还有一次，由于备餐厨房经常湿漉漉的，导致船体外部腐蚀。另有一次，用于将小船放入水中的吊艇架发生故障，船员被困在离水面四英尺的空中。 6park.com
In one instance, mold was growing on pipes directly above a bunk where the crew sleeps, the report said. In another, constant wetness in the galley, where food is prepared, led to corrosion on the exterior hull. A davit, a crane-like device used to lower small ships into the water, malfunctioned in another episode and stranded crew members 4 feet above the water. 6park.com
    
有鉴于此，在调往太平洋之前，哈里特·莱恩号进行了耗资2,100万美元的升级，据船员们说，其中甚至包括一些基本项目，如更换甲板和天花板。美国海岸警卫队计划对其他几艘中型耐力驱逐舰进行改造，以便在建造新舰艇的同时让这些驱逐舰继续服役。 6park.com
So before its move, the Harriet Lane got $21 million in upgrades—including even basic items such as fresh decks and ceilings, according to the crew. The Coast Guard plans to retrofit several other medium-endurance cutters to keep them in service while new boats are being built. 6park.com
 
哈里特·莱恩号的指挥官Nicole Tesoniero中校说：“虽然我们这艘驱逐舰已有40年船龄，但仍然很有价值，非常实用。” 6park.com
“While we are 40 years old, we still bring a lot, we’re still very capable,” said Cmdr. Nicole Tesoniero, Harriet Lane’s commanding officer.


哈里特·莱恩号上的驾驶室和发动机区域。

在停靠澳大利亚之前，哈里特·莱恩号在岛国瓦努阿图附近海域巡逻了几天。在当地有关部门的配合下，哈里特·莱恩号的船员登上了12艘船，结果发现这些船都是中国籍。船员们说，登船的过程是友好的，违规行为也很轻微，比如未正确记录渔获量或未使用正确的浮标。 6park.com
Before stopping in Australia, the Harriet Lane spent a few days patrolling the seas around the island nation of Vanuatu. With local authorities, the Harriet Lane’s crew boarded 12 ships that all turned out to be Chinese. The boardings were amicable and the violations were minor, such as not logging their catches properly or using incorrect buoys, crew members said. 6park.com
   
“我们不是针对中国船只，”Meyer说。“那只是当时的情况。” 6park.com
“We’re not targeting Chinese vessels,” Meyer said. “That’s just what was out there.” 6park.com
   
如果能够从美国国会那里获得资金，美国海岸警卫队在太平洋地区还有其他计划，打算在印太地区部署更多长约154英尺的新型快速反应驱逐舰，并希望为偏远地区的前沿作战地点提供装备，为这些舰船提供支持。此外，美国还在考虑向印太地区部署另一艘驱逐舰，发挥与哈里特·莱恩号类似的作用。 6park.com
The Coast Guard has other plans for the Pacific—if it can get the money from lawmakers. It is planning to get more of its new 154-foot fast-response cutters for the Indo-Pacific and wants to outfit forward operating locations in remote areas to support the ships. It is also looking at deploying another cutter to the region to serve in a similar role as the Harriet Lane. 6park.com
   
“我们在国会山得到了两党的大力支持，他们理解我们，理解对海岸警卫队进行投资的必要性，但也有很多人并不理解，甚至不知道我们是谁，”美国海岸警卫队司令Linda Fagan海军上将在去年10月的一次智库活动中表示。 6park.com
“We have some great bipartisan support on the Hill, people who understand us and understand the imperative of investment in the Coast Guard—but there’s also just as many who don’t really even, just don’t know who we are,” said Adm. Linda Fagan, the Coast Guard commandant, at a think tank event in October.  6park.com
   
Meyer说，美国海岸警卫队以少花钱多办事为荣。但这是有限度的。 6park.com
Meyer said the Coast Guard is proud of doing more with less. But there’s a limit. 6park.com
   
他说：“我们不能总是少花钱多办事。”当被问及海岸警卫队还需要什么时，他说：“什么都需要。人员、资产、资源，这些统统需要。” 6park.com
“We can’t always do more with less,” he said. When asked what else the Coast Guard needs, he said: “It’s everything. It’s people, it is assets, it is resources. It’s all of the above.”


哈里特·莱恩号将帮助一众岛国打击非法捕鱼和跨国犯罪。