China Begins Naval Drills in the South China Sea
Last updated 01:00 AM EST • Read time: 1m
BEIJING (AP) -- Chinese naval vessels including an island landing ship began drills Monday in the South China Sea, where China and several other nations are locked in territorial disputes.
Two destroyers and China's largest amphibious landing craft started the exercises after sailing from the naval base on the southern island province of Hainan, the official Xinhua News Agency said. The ships also boast three helicopters and a company of marines.
Xinhua quoted Commander Jiang Weilie as saying the drills would focus on integrated combat missions involving ships, submarines and aircraft, suggesting other units may also be involved.
China has moved sharply to assert its claim to nearly the entire South China Sea and its island groups, frequently dispatching patrol vessels to challenge foreign ships and demanding that other nations obtain its permission to fish in the area. The Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei also claim the entire sea or parts of it.
Late last year, China dispatched its first aircraft carrier and accompanying ships to the South China Sea for sea trials. One of the ships turned to block a U.S. ship shadowing the flotilla, forcing it to take action to avoid a collision.
Reflecting on an Epic Horse Campaign in the Mountains of Afghanistan
By Brian Glyn Williams • RealClearDefense
The Godfather of American Foreign Policy Realism Speaks to Today’s World
By Francis P. Sempa • RealClearDefense
In Pursuit of Nuclear Abolition
By Peter Huessy • RealClearDefense
Innovation Alone Won’t Prepare the U.S. for the Future Battlefield
By Joshua Segal • RealClearDefense
The sUAS Tactical Trifecta
By Bryan T. Woody • RealClearDefense
Navy Civilianizes Six Former Flag Billets, Reduces Six to Captains
By Mongilio, USNI N.
Raytheon's $8B Contract for Strategic Comms Terminal Modernization
By M+A El
America’s Maritime Moment Will Not Wait
By CDR Salamander
Armor Up?
By Marine Corps Compass Points
Who Shoots Down the Drone Over the Shipyard?
By John Ferrari & Dillon Prochnicki • RealClearDefense