Editor's note: Andrew Korybko is a Moscow-based American political analyst. The article reflects the author's opinions and not necessarily those of CGTN.

The U.S. Navy (USN) experienced its second major accident in just several months: Earlier this week, an F-35C crashed into the South China Sea while attempting to land on the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier. In early October, the USS Connecticut (SSN 22) nuclear-powered submarine struck an underwater object that was later determined to have been a seamount. Both entirely avoidable accidents show how unprofessional the USN has become.

The administration of former U.S. President Barack Obama decided to implement the "Pivot to Asia" policy in 2011, and since then, members of the U.S. military have been forced to focus on attempting to "contain" China. This has been going on for over a decade already and intensified greatly under former U.S. President Donald Trump. U.S. President Joe Biden has continued his predecessors' policies and even seems interested in stepping them up further. All of this has been very stressful for U.S. troops.

They've also been brainwashed into believing that the People's Republic of China is some kind of "aggressive" and "expansionist" "threat." In their warped minds, their military service is the only thing stopping the world from being taken over by communism. Almost every week the U.S. media spews another conspiracy theory about China. This must result in immense pressure being put on every single member of the U.S. Armed Forces that's participating in this anti-Chinese "containment" campaign.

It's little wonder then that those who were operating the USS Connecticut didn't even realize that they were sailing right into a seamount, as ridiculous as that sounds. The whole crew might have been fantasizing about how they're "saving the world" or whatever else in their minds. As for this week's accident on the USS Carl Vinson, the pilot had to have been unprecedentedly stressed to not even be able to perform a routine operation. China's world-renowned air defenses might have scared them.

There's no excuse for why the USN was just responsible for two high-profile accidents in the South China Sea in the span of just several months. They're clearly unprofessional, distracted, and not focused on ensuring their own safety, let alone that of others. The USN is becoming a threat to itself and the region. Its service members are distracted, fearful, and not focusing on their duties. This is completely unprofessional and unbecoming of a country that considers itself a "superpower."

All this shows is that the U.S. is only a "superpower" in its own mind and that of those brainwashed by its mainstream media at home and abroad. In reality, the country is actually a rapidly declining unipolar hegemony whose halcyon days are long behind it. Despite the literally hundreds of billions of dollars spent on maintaining its historically unprecedentedly large military each year, the USN is starting to fall apart at its seams because its personnel are cracking under pressure.

They're losing their cool. This is happening because no amount of brainwashing can fill them with a sincere sense of superiority when attempting to "contain" China. The reputation of the People's Republic of China is well-known. Even those who have warped perceptions about its intentions don't question its resolve to defend its national security interests. Nobody doubts that China will always protect itself. Those members of the U.S. Armed Forces that are carrying out operations near, or even at times within, China's territorial airspace or waters know that they're literally risking their lives.

It's understandable why so many accidents are happening nowadays even though it's totally unacceptable. The USN is becoming unprofessional, which suggests that the U.S. Armed Forces' other branches might soon follow. The solution is for the U.S. to stop trying to "contain" China and focus on urgently retraining its troops.

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