With each passing week, the number of surface ships, undersurface vessels, and aircraft in the Pacific Ocean is increasing. The US and NATO countries – France, Germany, and the Netherlands – along with Japan and Australia are increasing the military air and naval weapons platforms participating in these exercises.
On the other hand, the Russian Navy maneuvered off the coast of Hawaii. The United States has decided to set up a permanent Naval Task Force for the Pacific in response to China’s growing naval presence in the Pacific to challenge China’s presence in the Indo-Pacific.
Photo by the website www.military.com
Standing Naval Forces Pacific
The Pacific Naval Task Force will include US allies from NATO such as the UK and France, as well as the Quad Task Force from Japan and Australia. The Pacific Naval Task Force will be like NATO’s Standing Naval Forces Atlantic, which consists of six to ten ships from several NATO nations.
The largest land exercise in Asia and the Pacific takes place in Australia with the participation of 17,000 US and Australian troops.
At the recent NATO summit (June 14, 2021), most NATO leaders agreed with the United States on China, which they now consider to be undermining China’s existing world order and security.
At the same time, Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a speech marking the 100th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (July 1, 2021), warned that foreign powers trying to intimidate the Chinese nation would “hit their heads.” In addition, he pledged to reunite Taiwan, ensure stability in Hong Kong, and protect China’s sovereignty.
Photo by the webiste www.army-technology.com
Russia
In May, a Russian Navy ship 13 miles off the Hawaiian island of Kakai forced the United States to delay a missile test (Flight Test Aegis Weapon System 31).
In addition, the United States sent an F-22 squadron to monitor several Russian ships and aircraft located 200 miles west of the Hawaiian Islands. Twenty warships, a submarine and support ships participated in the exercise with twenty aircraft to accompany them, including Russian bombers.
NATO
On June 27, the French government sent three Rafale fighters, two A330 Phenix tankers and two A400M Atlas carriers to the Pearl Harbor-Hickam base in Honolulu to train with F-22 fighters.
The UK government sent the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth with it to the Pacific Ocean.
Photo by the website www.popularmechanics.com
China
China told a senior Defense Ministry official Senior Colonel Tan Kefei that “the United States continues to intensify military development in the Asia-Pacific region, often recognizing China closely, US aircraft and ships “. Regarding Taiwan, he said, “there is only one China in the world and Taiwan is an integral part of China.”
On 13 June 2021, at the G7 Summit (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK) in Cornwall, it was announced that “they continue to be seriously concerned about the situation in the East and South China Seas and that we will strongly oppose unilateral change of the Status Quo and increase of the Tensions “.
On March 12, 2021, the Quad (USA, Japan, Australia, and India) stated that “united in a common vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific Ocean … peaceful settlement of disputes, democratic values and territorial integrity “.
In June, the United States, along with other countries, participated in more Pacific warfare exercises than World War II.
