The exercises are taking place amid mounting tensions with China over Nancy Pelosi’s possible visit to Taiwan.
Navy personnel from the United States, Japan and South Korea have been taking part in the Pacific Dragon maneuvers in Hawaii waters since Monday that will test the defense’s capabilities against ballistic missiles.
According to sources quoted by South Korea’s Yonhap news agency, these are biennial maneuvers starting next Monday and lasting until August 14. This year they also have the participation of Australia and Canada.
Eight ships and two aircraft will be mobilized to enhance their coordination for ballistic missile detection, tracking and reporting, as agreed by officials from the three sides at the Shangri-La Dialogue meeting in Singapore on June 11.
These exercises have been conducted more discreetly since 2018 to facilitate diplomatic contacts with North Korea, with whom tension has always been latent, as it has shown continued violence through missile testing in recent years.
The maneuvers also coincide with the start of Nancy Pelosi’s tour of Asia, with a possible stop in Taiwan. China has warned the White House that a possible visit by the Speaker of the US House of Representatives to the island would have serious consequences. In fact, as a pressure measure, Beijing held a military exercise on Saturday in the strait separating it from Taiwan.
On the other hand, the US, along with Indonesia, are conducting other military maneuvers in the Pacific. At least 4,000 troops from both countries, along with Australian, Singaporean and for the first time Japanese troops, are conducting exercises on the Indonesian island of Sumatra and the Riau Islands.
The exercises will last until August 14 and include exercises for the army, navy and air force. Canada, France, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Great Britain participate as observers. According to Washington, the maneuvers are designed to promote “regional cooperation” in this context of tensions with China.
Source: La Verdad
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