Did a Chinese Electronic Attack Just Disable a Top-Tier U.S. Destroyer? USS Benson Loses Power for Four Days

The U.S. Navy is investigating a serious engineering failure that left the Arleigh Burke class guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold without power for four days while operating in the South China Sea. The destroyer suffered what the Navy described as an “engineering casualty involving its generators” on July 24, forcing the ship to remain without normal electrical power, forcing it to be towed to Subic Bay in the Philippines for repairs. The incident occurred while the USS Benfold was operating with the USS George Washington Carrier Strike Group, which has since been redeployed to the Middle East, leaving the Pacific without American carriers. 

The loss of power left the USS Benfold unable to operate normally and required assistance from other vessels in the strike group. The USS Robert Smalls reportedly helped provide meals to the affected crew while the Navy organised the recovery. The Navy has not publicly disclosed the precise technical failure within the generator system, and an investigation remains underway to determine what caused the issue. The loss of electrical power affected galley services, toilets, air conditioning and potable water, leaving hundreds of sailors without many of the basic facilities normally available aboard a modern warship. The Navy said the crew responded professionally throughout the four-day ordeal and specifically praised their resilience and steadiness. 

An Arleigh Burke class destroyer is heavily dependent on electrical power for its combat systems, sensors, communications and other equipment, meaning a prolonged generator failure can effectively remove a destroyer from combat operations even if its weapons and sensors remain physically intact. The incident therefore comes at a time when questions about U.S. Navy readiness and maintenance capacity are receiving increasing attention, with serious shortcomings having been repeatedly been highlighted during operations against Iran from late February. 

In mid-2024 the U.S. Navy and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy were reported to have engaged in intensive electronic warfare battles in the South China Sea near the Philippines. Electronic warfare engagements reportedly lasted a full twelve hours in the northern Philippines, and as a result American warships “faced an unprecedented crisis—screens full of static and a total loss of GPS signals,” with the fleet withdrawing due to the serious disruption of communication and navigation capabilities. The Navy’s electronic warfare equipment was assessed to be a full generation behind that of China, fuelling significant criticisms domestically. 

Clashes in 2024 highlighted prevailing concerns raised in the Western world regarding the consequences of the vast discrepancies in the Chinese and American industrial bases, and in particular their shipbuilding and electronics industries, for the balance of power between the two states. The disabling of the USS Benfold is widely speculated to be the result of a similar engagement.