loading…
China’s Liaoning carrier battle group and American carrier Theodore Roosevelt have both been undergoing combat training since last week.
Also read: “Cognitive Warfare”, US Battleship Stalking Chinese Carriers
Most recently, the US and the Philippines have been undergoing joint combat drills since last Monday when US Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin proposed ways to deepen military cooperation between Washington and Manila. The proposals come after China deployed an aircraft carrier and its battleships in disputed waters.
Tabloid Global Times China’s state-run said the country’s first aircraft carrier, Liaoning, sailed into the South China Sea starting last Saturday after completing a week of naval exercises around Taiwan. There is no official announcement about Liaoning’s position.
Liaoning emerged in the South China Sea after the carrier battle group USS Theodore Roosevelt – which includes the amphibious assault ship USS Makin Island – conducted drills in the South China Sea the day before. Two battleships flat-top joined by smaller cruisers, destroyers, and amphibious ships.
The American ships also carry hundreds of Marine ground troops from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit as well as support helicopters and F-35 stealth fighter jets.
“The force of this expeditionary strike fully demonstrates that we maintain a trustworthy fighting force capable of responding to all possibilities, deterring aggression, and providing regional security and stability in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” said US Navy Captain Stewart Bateshansky, the commander of the 3rd Amphibious Squadron, in a statement released CNN, Tuesday (13/4/2021).
Meanwhile, the strength of the Liaoning carrier battle group is not yet clear. However, Beijing media previously claimed the advanced warship Type 005 took part in the troupe. The number of troops brought in, including fighter jets, has also not been revealed. That was what made it difficult to predict which fighting group was stronger between the two countries.
Global Times quoting Chinese military expert Wei Dongxu as saying that the US Navy exercise was a provocation.
“Exercises by Chinese aircraft carriers can establish a broader maritime defense position, guard China’s coastal areas and guard US military activity,” the tabloid report quoted Wei as saying.
But one US analyst described Liaoning’s presence in the South China Sea as commonplace for the spring when the weather conditions are conducive to training. “Liaoning came down there this whole year (to practice) air defense training and direct fire,” said Carl Schuster, former director of operations at the US Pacific Command’s Joint Intelligence Center.
On Monday, more than 1,700 US and Philippine troops began two weeks of military exercises. That’s the report Reuters citing Philippine military chief Lieutenant General Cirilito Sobejana.
– .
