Chinese threat prompts numerous air forces to defend freedoms in the Indo-Pacific

Hong Kong, July 23: China was once invited to major multilateral military exercises, with RIMPAC in Hawaii a notable example. However, China’s aggressive approach to regional territorial disputes has led to it being banned from Western-led military exercises.

Yet China contributes to such exercises in other ways, mainly by encouraging the countries involved to come together and train so that they can form a united front against China’s aggressive behavior.

This is demonstrated in an air force exercise currently underway in Australia. Exercise Pitch Black 2024, held from 12 July to 2 August, is the largest exercise ever in the 43-year history of the exercise series. In total, 140+ aircraft and 4,435 personnel from 20 countries descended on Australia, primarily at air bases in the Top End. The unprecedented scale of the exercise reflects growing concerns about Chinese intentions in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.

The 20 countries contributing assets are Australia, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the United Kingdom and the United States.

This list is notable because it includes numerous countries that have a problem with Chinese territorial ambitions, either along their borders or in troubled maritime areas. These include India, Japan, and the Philippines, the latter getting involved for the first time in Pitch Black. The Philippine presence with four FA-50PH light fighters is indeed significant, as the country has never deployed its fledgling fighter jets abroad before.

Col. Randy M. Pascua, contingent commander of the Philippine Air Force, said: “For us, this is not a preparation for whatever happens in our country. Our main objective in being here is to develop our operational capacity, with emphasis on the development of the skills of the fighter pilots, as well as the maintenance, which is needed when we get the higher level of aircraft, namely the multirole fighter.”

His reference to the Philippines’ current competition to acquire new multirole fighters is again relevant to the threat from China. It can be argued that Manila’s desire for more capable fighters, intended for territorial defense, is a direct response to the threat posed by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

The other major development in Pitch Black 2024 is a very heavy European involvement France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK, while several countries on the other side of the world have expressed concern about China’s trampling on international norms and regulations in places like the South China Sea and the Taiwan Strait, arteries through which global maritime trade flows en masse. This year, Italy and Spain participated in a Pitch Black exercise for the first time.

In addition, Italy sent its aircraft carrier Cavour to the event as part of a broader five-month deployment around the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, three countries, France, Germany and Spain, are conducting a hugely complex air force deployment called Pacific Skies. Aircraft from these three countries are training progressively in Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Australia and India.

The refrain from participating nations is almost identical words such as partnership, interoperability and shared values. As Air Commodore Peter Robinson, Officer Commanding Exercise of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), put it: “We have brought together like-minded nations who will come together and exercise together. We build capabilities together, we build friendships together, we build relationships together and we come out of the exercise much stronger as partners.”

Lt. Col. Ryan Nickell, commander of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) Pitch Black Detachment, expressed similar sentiments: “Pitch Black is a tremendous opportunity for us to work closely with our allies and partners to strengthen our combined and joint capabilities. True integration requires understanding and trust. This is our chance to learn from each other and contribute to stability in the region through long-term partnerships.”

Participants who spoke were at pains to emphasize that Pitch Black scenarios are not focused on a single country, such as China, and that interoperability is the primary goal. Interoperability is of course vital, because allies need to know how to operate together in peacetime, in case they ever find themselves fighting side by side.

So, to some extent, it is true that Exercise Pitch Black 2024 is not specifically aimed at China, though it does send a message of unity. As Lt. Col. Ty Bridge, Deputy Chief, Exercises Division of Headquarters, US Pacific Air Forces, told ANI, “There are other exercises that INDOPACOM is focused on, both in our strategic messaging, our posture and in our joint warfighting.”

The USAF planner continued: “Pitch Black allows us to focus on allies and partners, and on interoperability, and to plan in other locations and at other times so we can work with other nations focused on deterrence and a free and open Indo-Pacific region.”

Incidentally, this year marks the first time the US has sent F-22A Raptor fighters, the USAF’s apex predators, to Pitch Black. These fighters have flown to Australia before, but they were never formally part of the exercise. The US is prioritizing sending its most advanced aircraft to the Indo-Pacific region.

When asked if Pitch Black 2024 is targeted at any particular country, Group Captain Gary Sadler of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) replied: “The simple answer is no, there is no specific threat, if you like, that we are trying to address. All countries become both blue and red (forces) in this scenario, because that is where we get the maximum benefit for all countries and the combinations of different types of aircraft in the airspace at the same time. In terms of the strategic challenges around the world at the moment, we certainly recognise those when we talk about the activities that we are trying to look at in the exercise. And while they can have a broadly formative effect, there is no specific activity within the exercise per se.”

Gr Cpt Sadler reiterated the oft-heard statement: “It really is about us being able to work together and interoperate in the area of ​​safe and professional aviation operations.”

It is a huge logistical effort to hold such a large, multinational exercise in Australia’s Northern Territory, and here too the threat from China plays a role. Australia’s National Defence Strategy document, released in April, outlined six priorities for the Australian Defence Force. These included improving the ability to operate from Australia’s northern bases, “keeping an adversary at risk further from our shores,” and implementing a denial strategy.

The five other priorities of the National Defence Strategy for Australia are: investing in nuclear submarines; improving long-range precision strike capabilities and producing munitions domestically; introducing disruptive new technologies; growing the defence workforce; and deepening Indo-Pacific partnerships. These are all, directly or indirectly, responses to the growing threat from China’s communist leadership and its armed wing, the PLA.

The need to strengthen northern Australia and the maritime approaches to the country is evident in major renovations and expansions of facilities at air bases such as Darwin and Tindal. At the latter, for example, new platforms are being built to accommodate USAF B-52 bombers. In any conflict with China, northern Australia would play a crucial role. Australia is also in the process of overhauling other remote air bases in the north so that they can be used in an expeditionary manner in the event of an emergency.

France is the only Pacific country in Europe. French Ambassador to Australia Pierre-Andre Imbert said: “These air combat exercises offer us a great opportunity to improve interoperability between the latest generation of fighter aircraft (F-35, Rafale) so that we are ready for the intense conflicts of tomorrow.”

France is indeed preparing for conflict in the region. It understands that a deployment of Rafale fighters to New Caledonia last year saw the planes practice to counter an imaginary enemy attacking from the north. North is the direction PLA forces would naturally take if they were planning to invade the South Pacific.

Many countries in the Asia-Pacific region are preparing in similar ways. No. 75 Squadron of the RAAF, for example, which flies the F-35A fighter from Tindal Air Base, is at the forefront of countering any threat from the north. It is emphasizing readiness to counter any sudden threat from countries such as China.

Gp Cpt Sadler added: “When we bring all these countries together, it’s about the shared values ​​that we have for security, stability, peace and prosperity in the region for all participants. And I think these kinds of activities reflect a commitment to transparency, to make sure that everyone is fully informed about what we’re trying to achieve and how we’re going about it.”

As this loose coalition of nations builds, major powers like the US are eager to broaden the base and deepen the relationship. As USAF Lt. Col. Bridge explained: “Well, it reflects the mutual trust and respect, in my opinion, and the intent that everyone can come together and focus on air tactics, regardless of the policies or politics that may be out there. It’s extremely impressive to be able to see the variety of different air crews and the professionalism that they have…”

With 20 countries coming together in this way, it also underscores China’s own very limited circle of friends. Apart from anti-terrorism-type exercises conducted under the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), international PLA exercises are typically bilateral, involving cooperation with countries such as Cambodia, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Thailand.

The Pentagon said in its most recent report on the PLA that Beijing “will continue to expand the PLA’s global military presence through humanitarian assistance, naval escorts and port visits, peacekeeping operations, arms sales, influence operations, and bilateral and multilateral military exercises. Through this engagement, Beijing can strengthen and expand its diplomatic relationships to advance its foreign policy goals, including shaping the international system to align with the PRC’s interests, gaining operational experience for the PLA, and attracting foreign interest in hosting PLA bases and dual-use installations abroad.”

The US annual report further states: “Beijing frequently relies on senior military visits, bilateral and multilateral exercises and training, peacekeeping missions, and military assistance to advance the foreign policy objectives of the People’s Republic of China.”

In July, China cooperated militarily with Russia in a naval exercise called Joint Sea-2024 in waters near Zhanjiang in southern China. Zhang Xiaogang, spokesman for the Chinese Ministry of National Defense, said: “The ongoing exercise aims to demonstrate the determination and capabilities of both sides to jointly tackle maritime security threats and maintain global and regional peace and stability.”

Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor.

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