TOKYO (AP) — The United States, Canada, India, Japan and South Korea were conducting joint combat drills against submarines during talks between Japanese and South Korean leaders aimed at bolstering their alliance with Washington in the face of threats from China and North Korea.
Sea Dragon 23 exercises began on Wednesday and will include more than 270 hours of flight training “from tracking simulated targets to the ultimate problem of tracking a U.S. Navy submarine,” the U.S. 7th Fleet said in a statement.
Pilots and flight officers from all participating nations will also have classroom training sessions to “develop plans and discuss tactics that incorporate their respective nation’s capabilities and equipment,” 7th Fleet added.
The drills were organized as a competition, with the country that earns the most points winning the “Belt of the Dragon”.
The US Navy is represented by two P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft, now based in Guam. He did not specify where the drills would take place or how long they would last.
With 50 to 70 ships and submarines, 150 aircraft and more than 27,000 sailors and marines ready to deploy at all times, the 7th Fleet “regularly operates and interacts with allies and partners to preserve freedom and openness” , did he declare.
This includes mining in the South China Sea, where it often angers Beijing by sailing and flying near islands controlled and fortified by China, which claims nearly all of the strategic region.
The drills also coincided with China’s joint search and rescue drills in the Gulf of Oman with Iran and Russia, three of the countries most strained with the United States.
Other yet unidentified countries were also participating in the “Security Loop-2023” exercises, which the Chinese Ministry of Defense said will “deepen practical cooperation between the navies of participating countries and inject positive energy into regional peace and stability”. .” .
U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday that the White House was not concerned about such joint moves.
Disputes between China and Japan over tiny islands in the East China Sea have also escalated, with both sides accusing each other of encroaching on their maritime territory.