In total, the exercises, based in Honolulu and San Diego, will involve troops from 26 countries from June 29 to August 4. They will use 38 surface ships, four submarines and 170 aircraft in the exercises, the 3rd Fleet of the US Navy said in a statement Tuesday. About 25,000 personnel will be involved, including ground forces from nine countries.
“A free and open Indo-Pacific region” is a mantra of the United States as China grows its powers and expands its reach in the region, including militarizing islands in the South China Sea, almost all of which claim sovereign territory.
Three countries with competing claims on China – the Philippines, Malaysia and Brunei – will take part in RIMPAC 2022. Indonesia, which borders the South China Sea and has seen recent maritime tensions with China, will also participate, as will Singapore, which is located on the southwest entrance to the sea with an area of 1.3 million square miles.
Meanwhile, Quad countries – the United States, India, Japan and Australia – are stepping up military cooperation as they all see growing competition with China in the region.
The four countries have held two naval exercises since 2020. Meanwhile, their leaders have met four times since last year – including face-to-face meetings at the White House summit last September and more recently on May 24 in Tokyo.
The exercises will include exercises focused on “landing operations, artillery, missile, anti-submarine and anti-aircraft defenses, as well as anti-piracy, demining, demining, explosive ordnance disposal and diving and rescue operations,” the U.S. Navy said. .
“RIMPAC 2022 contributes to the increased interoperability, resilience and flexibility needed … to deter and defeat aggression by major powers in all areas and levels of conflict.
“During RIMPAC, a network of capable, adaptable partners train and work together to strengthen their collective strength and promote a free and open Indo-Pacific region.
Wang Yi, China’s foreign minister, condemned the group as an Asian “NATO”, accusing it of “spreading the Cold War mentality” and “fueling geopolitical rivalry”. RIMPAC 2022 also includes Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Germany, Israel, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga and the United Kingdom.
Carl Schuster, a former director of operations at the United States Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center, said that in addition to military value, the RIMPAC was a show of political influence that Washington maintained around the world.
“This means the strength and breadth of America’s global maritime partnerships, a very important deterrent to all potential aggressors who believe that Washington’s influence and strategic position, especially that of its navy, is waning.
“RIMPAC’s widespread international involvement proves this is not the case,” Schuster said.
He also noted the inclusion of the Pacific island nation of Tonga in the exercise at a time when China is pushing to increase its influence among small countries in the South Pacific.
The upcoming exercises will be the 28th edition of RIMPAC, launched in 1971.
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