The five-member task force of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) met in the Philippine Sea as the government aligned more closely with US policy amid mounting tensions. In a statement to the United Nations, Australia said China’s claims, which span most of the disputed sea, “have no legal basis.”
The RAN’s HMAS Canberra helicopter transport ship led the air war destroyer HMAS Hobart, the frigates HMAS Stuart and HMAS Arunta and the support ship HMAS Sirius on the joint training mission.
Australian ships joined a task force focused on the USS Ronald Reagan Aircraft Strike Group, which includes the guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam and the guided-missile destroyer USS Mustin and the Akizuki-class destroyer of the Maritime Self-Defense Force. Japanese JS Teruzuki.
The exercises included refueling at sea, aviation operations, maritime maneuvers, and communication exercises.
The Australian Joint Task Force Commander, Commodore Michael Harris, said the opportunity to work alongside Japan and the United States was invaluable.
He said: “Maintaining safety at sea requires that navies can cooperate seamlessly.
“The combined activities between our navies demonstrate a high degree of interoperability and capacity between Australia, Japan and the United States.”
Captain Sakano Yusuke, commander of Japan’s Escort Division 4, said that strengthening cooperation with the US Navy and the Royal Australian Navy was of vital importance to Japan and contributed to a free and open region of the Indo-Pacific.
Captain Sakano said: “Experience in this exercise will give us tactical and operational advantages and will strengthen our friendships, in addition to our regular joint exercises with both like-minded navies.”
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United States Army Captain Russ Caldwell, Commander of the USS Antietam, said the US Navy routinely exercises with regional partners, showing their shared commitment to regional stability and a free Indo-Pacific and open.
He said: “The relationships we have developed allow us to meet at sea and immediately operate at an advanced level.
“This highlights the enduring nature of our partnerships with Japan and Australia.
“The United States is fortunate to routinely operate alongside its allies in the Indo-Pacific, and coordinated operations such as these reinforce our mutual commitment to international maritime standards and promote regional stability.”
Defense analysts said the exercises were designed to send a clear signal to Beijing that the allied forces were ready and could form an effective team if the need arose.
The joint drills caused discomfort in Beijing, which blames Washington for trying to destabilize peace in the volatile region and warned that it could strengthen its military presence there if threatened.
An editorial in the state-controlled Global Times said: “The Chinese People’s Liberation Army could be forced to increase its presence with deployments and routine exercises to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity.
“These incidents, which take place thousands of kilometers away from the United States and at the door of China, have once again demonstrated that the United States is the true driving force behind militarization in the South China Sea.”
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United States Secretary of Defense Mark Esper rejected China’s accusations.
He said: “The American aircraft carriers have been in the South China Sea in the Indo-Pacific since World War II and we will continue there, and no one will stop us.
“We are going to sail, fly and operate where international law allows and we do it, again, to assert international law and rights to support the sovereignty of our friends and partners and assure them that we will be there to defend those things.”
The Australian, American, and Japanese joint force will move to Hawaii for the weekend for large-scale war games, RIMPAC, which will involve many Pacific and Southeast Asian nations.
The aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, which had been operating with the USS Reagan earlier this month, moved to the Indian Ocean, where it is conducting similar interoperability exercises with the Indian navy.
