The new commander of the US Pacific Fleet said the navy is "very interested" in the first-ever joint military exercises China and Russia are holding over the next eight days.
In an interview about one month after assuming his post, Admiral Gary Roughead said he'll be watching to see what kind of equipment the two countries will use and how they'll work together.
"We're very interested in the exercise, we're interested in the types of things that they'll do," Roughead said Wednesday. "We're interested in the complexity and the types of systems that they bring to bear."
China and Russia plan to gather some 10,000 troops from their land, sea and air forces for joint drills dubbed "Peace Mission 2005" on China's northeastern coast.
Roughead declined to say whether the US would dispatch ships of its own to monitor the exercises, replying only that "I don't talk about the specifics of our operations."
The admiral said he was curious as to how the two navies would operate and how they would command and control their forces. He added that he would also be looking at how they would "integrate in a combined way."
Roughead, 54, takes command of the Pacific Fleet as the Pentagon mulls moving an aircraft carrier to either Guam or Hawaii from the US mainland and perhaps shifting more submarines to the region.
"There's a growing sense in our country and military that our future is going to be very heavily tied to Asia," Roughead said. "The imperative of maintaining stability and the prosperity in the region will be the key to our security and prosperity in the future."
Roughead, who has spent five of the last 12 years in Pacific posts, said he has been watching as China has upgraded its military, taking note as its submarine patrols and surface ships have pushed beyond earlier areas of operation closer to its eastern coast.
He said he was most curious about China's motives.
"Clearly they are modernizing very quickly, they're acquiring and producing some very capable systems. So it's easy to see the capability that they're building," Roughead said. "The great interest I have is to what purpose do they want to use the military. How do they seek to employ it in the future and what does it mean for the region?"
An annual Pentagon report last month said the Chinese military is buying new weapon systems while developing new doctrine for modern warfare and improving training standards.
"The big question is what's it for?" Roughead said. "It's still a little unclear what their intentions are in developing a military with the type of capability and reach they have."
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
AMENDMENT: Climate change is expected to increase the frequency of high-temperature days, affecting economic productivity and public health, experts said The Central Weather Administration (CWA) is considering amending the Meteorological Act (氣象法) to classify “high temperatures” as “hazardous weather,” providing a legal basis for work or school closures due to extreme heat. CWA Administrator Lu Kuo-chen (呂國臣) yesterday said the agency plans to submit the proposed amendments to the Executive Yuan for review in the fourth quarter this year. The CWA has been monitoring high-temperature trends for an extended period, and the agency contributes scientific data to the recently established High Temperature Response Alliance led by the Ministry of Environment, Lu said. The data include temperature, humidity, radiation intensity and ambient wind,
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist