With the Chinese Communist Party‘s military expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, military aircraft and warships are frequently dispatched to harass the Indo-Pacific waters. The U.S.-China tug-of-war in the Indo-Pacific is getting hotter by the day. The U.S. is currently conducting joint exercises with Australia and Japan in Guam to counter the growing threat from China and Russia, with the first deployment of the F-35A Joint Strike Fighter.
The United States is currently conducting joint exercises with Australia and Japan in Guam to counter the growing threat from China and Russia, with this exercise deploying F-35A Joint Strike Fighters for the first Time (see photo).
The joint exercise at Anderson Air Force Base, known as North2021, began Feb. 10 and will run through Feb. 19.
According to a statement from the U.S. Air Forces in the Pacific, the exercise is designed to improve the ability of the U.S., Japan and Australia to conduct humanitarian operations in response to potential natural disasters in the region, and also includes improved mobility in air combat and communication capabilities between the three nations.
Air Force magazine reported that one commander had said one of the exercises was designed to improve the ability of air forces to stay operational at small, rough airfields with limited facilities, known as sketchy airfields. Analysts say the move is aimed at retaining air combat capability after missile attacks on airfields at several major U.S. bases.
“China (Communist Party of China) and Russia could potentially put U.S. military bases overseas within range of attack. To counter this, the Air Force must learn how to move away from its reliance on facility-sound airfields or risk losing its operational edge.” Brig. Gen. Jeremy Sloane, commander of the 36th Wing at Anderson Base, said at an online event hosted by the Air Force Federation.
“While we can make up for some of the deficiencies with long-range bombers, a war in which a wave of missiles bomb U.S. air bases and prevent short-range fighters from taking off and landing is unlikely to have a good outcome.” He said.
The northwest airfield at Anderson Base is less than 2,400 meters long, with limited taxiway and hangar space and no permanent airfield air command tower. It is currently used by helicopters and C-130 Hercules transport aircraft.
Song Zhongping, a former instructor in the Chinese Communist military, said of the U.S.-Australia-Japan exercise that it could be a way to ensure that the Guam base remains in contact with other bases in the event of an attack by Chinese Communist forces.
Song said the inclusion of Japan and Australia in the exercise is an attempt to use the bases in those countries to work together against an attack by Chinese communist forces.
Defense analysts are very concerned about whether the Chinese Communist air force can penetrate the first island chain, a series of Pacific islands stretching from the Thousand Islands to Japan and then to the Philippines.
A report by the London-based Royal United Institute, which specializes in defense and security, said the coverage of the fabled Chinese Communist Party subsonic Boom-20 stealth bomber may be able to extend beyond China’s coastal waters.
The report also said that in addition to the stealth bomber, the Chinese Communist Party is also developing a medium-range stealth bomber that would pose a threat to key U.S. military bases in Guam and Okinawa.
The ability to operate from more rudimentary airfields means that it is not enough for the Chinese Communist forces to destroy U.S. air power in the Asia-Pacific region by destroying well-equipped airfields like Kadena Air Base in Okinawa,” said Timothy Heath, senior international defense researcher at Rand Corp.
“With this new mobility, the U.S. Air Force has the flexibility to deploy to other bases, greatly increasing the survivability of its aircraft. For the Chinese Communist Party, this means that its forces will feel overwhelmed by their ability to defeat U.S. forces in the region because they will not be able to determine to which bases their fighter aircraft might be deployed.” Heath said.
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