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South China Sea: US Navy moves suggest new approach in likely Taiwan flashpoint
- US carrier strike groups entered the South China Sea 10 times in 2021, compared with six times in 2020 and five in 2019
- Use of alternative routes between islands may be designed to evade PLA radars and indicates skill diversification for US sailors, defence experts say
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The US Navy’s aircraft carrier strike groups have not only increased South China Sea transits since last year, but their routes and drill patterns are becoming more complicated and unpredictable, according to a recent study.
Defence experts said the changes could indicate new countermeasures devised by the strike groups to face any contingencies in the region, such as a potential attack on Taiwan by Beijing’s People’s Liberation Army, or over South China Sea territorial disputes.
Beijing sees self-ruled Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification, by force if necessary. It is also one of the rival claimants to several small islands and reefs in the busy shipping lanes of the resource-rich South China Sea. The US demands freedom of navigation in the region.
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The USS Carl Vinson CSG completed a five-day joint drill with the Essex Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) around the disputed Spratly Islands on Saturday, kicking off their 2022 naval schedule two weeks earlier than last year, according to the South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI), a maritime strategic study unit affiliated to Peking University’s Institute of Ocean Research.
“The US military have drastically reinforced their military deployment in the South China Sea since last year, in terms of training scales, sorties and scenarios,” SCSPI director Hu Bo told state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) on Friday.
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