 US backs Japan concerns on China ships Washington (AFP) Feb 11, 2021 - US Secretary of State Antony Blinken voiced concern Wednesday over China's incursions into Japanese territorial waters, recommitting to the ally's defense. In a telephone call, Blinken and Japanese foreign minister Toshimitsu Motegi "expressed concern over increased Chinese assertiveness around the Senkaku Islands following China's enactment of a new coast guard law," State Department spokesman Ned Price said. "Secretary Blinken reaffirmed that the Senkakus fall within the scope of Article V of the US-Japan Security Treaty," he said, referring to the section that commits the two nations to defend each other if either is attacked. Tokyo has voiced alarm over increased Chinese incursions after Beijing enacted legislation allowing its coast guard to use weapons against foreign ships seen as illegally entering its waters. Japan administers the rocky islets in the East China Sea that are also claimed by Beijing, which calls them the Diaoyu, as well as Taiwan. Blinken's call comes as President Joe Biden promises to keep his predecessor Donald Trump's tough line on a rising China while also paying closer attention to allies. Former secretary of state Hillary Clinton first said the Senkakus fell under Article V, although Trump went a step further by warning against attempts to contest Japan's control over the islands. The State Department said Blinken and Motegi also discussed last week's military coup in Myanmar, also known as Burma, where Biden is rolling out punishment for the generals if they do not return power to elected leaders.
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A U.S.-Turkey joint Navy exercise on the Black Sea successfully integrated surface, air and subsurface warfare capabilities this week, the two countries announced.
The U.S. Sixth Fleet's Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Donald Cook and USS Porter, joined by a P-8A reconnaissance plane, joined Turkish frigates TCG Orucreis and TCG Turgutreis and two Turkish F-16 fighter planes for the one-day exercise on Tuesday, the U.S. Navy said.
"The training conducted for the fundamental types of naval warfare has further strengthened cooperation between the Naval Forces of the two countries and has contributed to their interoperability," the Turkish defense ministry said Wednesday in a statement.
The training included an air defense exercise in which the Turkish F-16s were strategically maneuvered by aircraft controllers aboard the ships and tactical maritime maneuvers involving precise communication and stationing skills.
They were followed by a hunt for a simulated submarine, which involved the P-8A plane.
"Turkey is a highly valued Ally and NATO maritime partner, whose joint operations with the U.S. Navy in the Black Sea reinforce the asymmetric advantage of the NATO Alliance," Vice Adm. Gene Black, U.S. Sixth Fleet commander, said in a press release.
"Our ability to collaborate and operate together is based on the solidarity and strength of NATO, which enables stability in the maritime domain," said Black, who is also commander of Naval Striking and Support Forces NATO.
Turkey will lead NATO's high-readiness force, an assignment given to NATO member nations on a rotating basis, in 2021.
The Black Sea is regarded as a critical international waterway for maritime stability in Europe. Bordered by Russia and five NATO members and partners, it is a common site for NATO exercises and demonstrations of strength and capability.
Two U.S. carrier strike groups train in South China Sea
Washington DC (UPI) Feb 10, 2021 -
Two U.S. aircraft carrier strike groups conducted large-scale joint exercises in the South China Sea this week, seen as a show of force against China.
The operations of the USS Theodore Roosevelt and the USS Nimitz -- aircraft carriers traveling with fighter planes and escort ships which include frigates and guided-missile destroyers -- could be interpreted as an example of the new administration of President Joe Biden displaying determination against slowly-encroaching Chinese claims in the South China Sea.
The state-run China Times said on Wednesday that the exercise had "more symbolic and political meanings" than a display of military capability, and the commander of one of the strike groups said the ships' arrivals were more a matter of timing.
"The fact that they came together in the South China Sea was based on our navigation plan and making the most efficient route to and from our areas," said Rear Adm. Doug Verissimo, commander of the USS Theodore Roosevelt strike group.
The two groups conducted mutual tactical proficiency drills, which concluded on Tuesday.
The maneuvers came days after the USS John McCain conducted operations near the Paracel Islands, a collection of islands in the Sea and claimed by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.
Two weeks earlier, Chinese warplanes entered Taiwan's air defense zone in a manner suggesting a simulated attack against an aircraft carrier.
Rear Adm. James Kirk, commander of the Nimitz strike group, said an expansion of Chinese military capabilities was observed during its 10-month deployment in the South China sea.
"We're seeing a larger number of aircraft, larger number of ships available to the Chinese military, utilized on a daily basis, so the capacity has clearly increased," Kirk said after completion of the exercises.
A French nuclear submarine recently traveled through the area as well, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said on Monday, to demonstrate the French navy's ability to operate far from home and with strategic partners.
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