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."
DETERRENCE: With 1,000 indigenous Hsiung Feng II and III missiles and 400 Harpoon missiles, the nation would boast the highest anti-ship missile density in the world With Taiwan wrapping up mass production of Hsiung Feng II and III missiles by December and an influx of Harpoon missiles from the US, Taiwan would have the highest density of anti-ship missiles in the world, a source said yesterday. Taiwan is to wrap up mass production of the indigenous anti-ship missiles by the end of year, as the Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology has been meeting production targets ahead of schedule, a defense official with knowledge of the matter said. Combined with the 400 Harpoon anti-ship missiles Taiwan expects to receive from the US by 2028, the nation would have
North Korea yesterday fired about 10 ballistic missiles to the sea toward Japan, the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said, days after Pyongyang warned of “terrible consequences” over ongoing South Korea-US military drills. Pyongyang recently dashed hopes of a diplomatic thaw with Seoul, Washington’s security ally, describing its latest peace efforts as a “clumsy, deceptive farce.” Seoul’s military detected “around 10 ballistic missiles launched from the Sunan area in North Korea toward the East Sea [Sea of Japan] at around 1:20pm,” JCS said in a statement, referring to South Korea’s name for the body of water. The missiles
North Korea tested nuclear-capable rocket launchers, state media reported yesterday, a day after Seoul detected the launch of about 10 ballistic missiles. The test comes after South Korean and US forces launched their springtime military drills, due to run until Thursday. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on Saturday oversaw the testing of the multiple rocket launcher system (MRLS), the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. The test involved 12 600mm-caliber ultra-precision multiple rocket launchers and two artillery companies, it said. Kim said the drill gave Pyongyang’s enemies, within the 420km striking range, a sense of “uneasiness” and “a deep understanding
‘UNWAVERING FRIENDSHIP’: A representative of a Japanese group that co-organized a memorial, said he hopes Japanese never forget Taiwan’s kindness President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday marked the 15th anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, urging continued cooperation between Taiwan and Japan on disaster prevention and humanitarian assistance. Lai wrote on social media that Taiwan and Japan have always helped each other in the aftermath of major disasters. The magnitude 9 earthquake struck northeastern Japan on March 11, 2011, triggering a massive tsunami that claimed more than 19,000 lives, according to data from Japanese authorities. Following the disaster, Taiwan donated more than US$240 million in aid, making it one of the largest contributors of financial assistance to Japan. In addition to cash donations and
RSS