Latest news with #USIndo-PacificCommand
Metro
6 days ago
- Science
- Metro
China's new secret weapon is a flying ship dubbed 'the sea monster'
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Or even a ship? No – it is something much more sinister. Roaring just feet above the sea, a sprawling shadow has emerged from the Bohai Sea, off the northern coast of China. This is the experimental resurrection of the Soviet Era 'ekranoplan', a hybrid between an aircraft and a ship, which can cruise over water at 340 mph. Pulling from the pages of the history of the Cold War, China has presented its own ekranoplan nicknamed – quite predictably – the Bohai Sea Monster. The dramatic reveal – part demonstration and part warning to its enemies – marks a bold escalation in the country's military expansion. Aviation expert Justin Bronk explained that China's apparent development of the experimental vessel highlights its willingness to try almost anything in the pursuit of tactical advantages over its rivals. He told RFE/RL about the plans: 'China is notable in its willingness to fund and test large numbers of different technical and technological solutions for military problem sets.' Bronk stressed that even designs with a low chance of success are being developed by the Chinese. He added: 'Presumably based on the logic that a few at least will prove to be unexpectedly useful and successful.' The 'ekranoplan' fits this profile perfectly. Historically, the Soviets were the main producer, building the infamous 'Caspian Sea Monster' in the 1960s. Some Soviet types were ginormous, but other types globally have always been much smaller. Until now. An image shared on Chinese social media shows the unique grey-painted aircraft in the background. Flying just above the surface, this Soviet engineering marvel was known for evading radar detection and is large enough to transport soldiers and missiles. 'Ekranoplans' utilize the ground effect – a cushion of air trapped between the wings and the water surface, to gain lift and maintain flight at low altitudes (typically a few meters above the water). This low-altitude operation makes them challenging to track and intercept. China has not yet revealed the name, manufacturer and price of its secret weapon – nor what it plans to use it for. Securing a strategic edge is vital to the country, particularly as all signs point to a possible invasion of Taiwan in the next couple of years. For years, China has poured billions into modernizing its armed forces – from investing in advanced weaponry, including hypersonic missiles, and expanding its nuclear arsenal. Samuel Paparo, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, told the House Armed Services Committee hearing in Washington earlier this year that the Indo-Pacific command faces a confluence of challenges, mainly China. More Trending He said: 'Foremost among them is China's increasingly aggressive and assertive behavior. 'Their unprecedented military modernization encompassing advancements in artificial intelligence, [hypersonic missiles], space-based capabilities, among others, poses a real and serious threat to our homeland, to our allies and to our partners.' Last year, China's military, the People's Liberation Army (PLA) boasted itsgrowing capabilities through persistent operations against Taiwan. Paparo stressed that they have escalated by a whooping 300%, adding: 'Its aggressive military actions near Taiwan are not just exercises – they are rehearsals.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: More than 200 kids poisoned with lead at Chinese school after chef added paint to their food MORE: Woman bombarded with hundreds of Amazon packages she never ordered MORE: Incredible Pacific Sleeper Sharks footage captures feeding scenes over 3,000ft deep
The Star
09-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Chinese aircraft carrier seen operating deeper into Pacific
FILE PHOTO: Chinese aircraft carriers Liaoning and Shandong carried out a dual aircraft carrier formation exercise for the first time in the South China Sea in late October 2024. - Xinhua TOKYO: A Chinese aircraft carrier made one of its deepest forays into the Pacific Ocean over the weekend as Beijing continues to project its military power further from its shores. The Liaoning and three other Chinese naval vessels were seen on June 7 around 300km south-west of the remote, uninhabited Japanese island of Minamitori, according to a statement from Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Minamitori is more than 1,800km south-east of Tokyo. The Chinese carrier was within the portion of Japan's exclusive economic zone around the island. A day later, Japan said it confirmed the takeoff and landing of fighter jets and helicopters from the deck of the carrier, an indication of exercises to test the ability of pilots and sailors to perform combat operations. The sightings are likely the first time any of China's three aircraft carriers have been observed operating east of the so-called second island chain, a string of islands that extends from Japan, through the Northern Mariana Islands and south to Guam. The second chain and the first island chain, which is closer to China and includes Japan's southern Ryuku Islands and the Philippines, limit China's access to the western Pacific Ocean. US, Japanese and other military bases sit along both of the chains. In the case of a conflict in the Western Pacific involving the US, such as a possible military engagement over Taiwan, China could be at risk from US forces deployed from large American bases in Hawaii. The ability to operate east of the second chain could help China's navy counter such deployments. Neither the US Indo-Pacific Command nor the Foreign Ministry in Beijing immediately responded to a request for comment. The Liaoning, a rebuilt Russian vessel, is the oldest of China's carriers. In recent days it has sailed with accompanying ships widely around the Western Pacific, including rare sightings to the east of the Philippines, according to Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told China's state-run Global Times last week that the Liaoning was conducting normal training activities. Wang said Chinese carriers are expected to go further into deep ocean areas in the future, according to the report. - Bloomberg
Straits Times
09-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Chinese aircraft carrier seen operating deeper into Pacific
The Chinese carrier was within the portion of Japan's exclusive economic zone around the island. PHOTO: REUTERS TOKYO – A Chinese aircraft carrier made one of its deepest forays into the Pacific Ocean over the weekend as Beijing continues to project its military power further from its shores. The Liaoning and three other Chinese naval vessels were seen on June 7 around 300km south-west of the remote, uninhabited Japanese island of Minamitori, according to a statement from Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Minamitori is more than 1,800km south-east of Tokyo. The Chinese carrier was within the portion of Japan's exclusive economic zone around the island. A day later, Japan said it confirmed the takeoff and landing of fighter jets and helicopters from the deck of the carrier, an indication of exercises to test the ability of pilots and sailors to perform combat operations. The sightings are likely the first time any of China's three aircraft carriers have been observed operating east of the so-called second island chain, a string of islands that extends from Japan, through the Northern Mariana Islands and south to Guam. The second chain and the first island chain, which is closer to China and includes Japan's southern Ryuku Islands and the Philippines, limit China's access to the western Pacific Ocean. US, Japanese and other military bases sit along both of the chains. In the case of a conflict in the Western Pacific involving the US, such as a possible military engagement over Taiwan, China could be at risk from US forces deployed from large American bases in Hawaii. The ability to operate east of the second chain could help China's navy counter such deployments. Neither the US Indo-Pacific Command nor the Foreign Ministry in Beijing immediately responded to a request for comment. The Liaoning, a rebuilt Russian vessel, is the oldest of China's carriers. In recent days it has sailed with accompanying ships widely around the Western Pacific, including rare sightings to the east of the Philippines, according to Japan's Joint Chief of Staff. Mr Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told China's state-run Global Times last week that the Liaoning was conducting normal training activities. Mr Wang said Chinese carriers are expected to go further into deep ocean areas in the future, according to the report. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
06-06-2025
- Politics
- The Star
US Indo-Pacific commander calls PLA moves in strait ‘rehearsals', not exercises
The top US commander in the Pacific said on Monday that Beijing was on a 'dangerous course' and its operations around Taiwan were not mere exercises, but 'rehearsals'. 'We face a profoundly consequential time in the Indo-Pacific. China is on a dangerous course,' said Admiral Samuel Paparo, head of US Indo-Pacific Command, in a special address to an AI expo hosted by the Special Competitive Studies Project think tank. 'Their aggressive manoeuvres around Taiwan are not just exercises. They are rehearsals,' he continued, without explicitly referencing a potential takeover of Taiwan. Beijing regards the self-ruled island as part of China, to be reunited by force if necessary. Most countries, including the US, do not recognise Taiwan as an independent state, but Washington is opposed to any attempt to take it by force and is committed to arming it. In recent years, the US has grown increasingly anxious about a mainland takeover, with officials and lawmakers eyeing 2027 as a possible window, and pointing to more frequent People's Liberation Army sorties that cross the Taiwan Strait's median line as signs of growing aggression. Tensions between Taiwan and mainland China have also grown in the year since Taiwanese leader William Lai Ching-te, whom Beijing has called a 'destroyer of peace', took office. Without naming specific countries, Paparo said on Monday that China's aggression was compounded by 'a growing transactional symbiosis among an axis of autocracies,' evidenced by 'technology transfers and coordinated military activities'. The US was at a 'technological inflection point' with advances in AI, hypersonic weapons and additive manufacturing, he said, calling for a change in course in favour of speed and innovation. 'We need engagement in the speed of combat, not committee,' Paparo said, adding that the scientific community and industry were essential to the 'urgent transformation' needed. Paparo, who assumed his command in May 2024, has made similar comments in recent months, previously naming China, Russia and North Korea as a 'triangle of troublemakers'. His remarks Monday came a day after the conclusion of the Shangri-La Dialogue, during which US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth called China a threat and said it wanted to 'fundamentally alter the region's status quo'. Beijing protested Hegseth's remarks, with the foreign ministry on Sunday accusing him of deliberately ignoring calls for peace from countries in the region. Hegseth did not meet his Chinese counterpart, Defence Minister Dong Jun, who opted to skip the annual security forum in Singapore. The Chinese embassy in Washington disputed Paparo's characterisation of Beijing's actions around Taiwan on Monday. 'For the cross-strait situation, there is no factor more destabilising than the provocations made by the 'Taiwan independence' separatists and the disruptions by foreign forces,' said spokesperson Liu Pengyu, adding that China's military 'drills' were meant to serve as a deterrent to 'separatist plots'. 'We urge the US side to stop fanning the flames on the Taiwan question. Such behaviours would only backfire,' he said.
Korea Herald
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Korea Herald
USFK dismisses troop downsizing report
No discussions yet with Washington over partial withdrawal of US troops: Seoul The United States Forces Korea on Friday dismissed a report saying Washington is mulling the possibility of a partial withdrawal of the strong 28,500 troops stationed here. "The US remains firmly committed to the defense of the ROK and we look forward to working with the incoming government officials to maintain and strengthen our iron clad alliance," the USFK said in a statement. "Reports that the Department of Defense will reduce US troops in the Republic of Korea are not true.' ROK is an abbreviation for Republic of Korea, which is South Korea's official name. The statement followed a report early Friday from The Wall Street Journal, which claimed that the Donald Trump administration is weighing the option of pulling out some 4,500 troops, or around 15 percent of the USFK, and moving them to other locations in the Indo-Pacific region, including Guam, which is an American island territory. The report added to security concerns in South Korea amid volatilities stemming from North Korea's advancing nuclear weapons program. Addressing the report, South Korea's Ministry of National Defense said in the morning that no discussions had recently been held with the US government over the issue of withdrawal of USFK. 'There were no discussions held between South Korea and the US over the issue of withdrawal of USFK,' the ministry said. "The USFK, as the core strength of the South Korea-US alliance, has contributed to the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula and in the region by maintaining a firm combined defense posture and deterring North Korea's invasion and provocation, alongside our military," the ministry added. "We will continue to cooperate with the US side to advance in such a direction.' The WSJ report is aligned with a separate report from The Washington Post earlier this year that the second Trump administration plans to 'reorient' the US military to prioritize deterring China's seizure of Taiwan and shoring up homeland defense. It cited secret internal guidance distributed throughout the Pentagon in mid-March. An official at Seoul's Foreign Ministry, declining to be named, echoed the Defense Ministry's statement, saying that the USFK has been 'the backbone and the symbol of the South Korea-US alliance, while deterring threats from North Korea and contributing to the peace and security in the region.' The official highlighted the 'negative views' expressed by US Indo-Pacific Command Commander Adm. Samuel Paparo Jr. and USFK Commander Gen. Xavier Brunson about potentially scaling back the US troops deployed here. 'Recently, the US Indo-Pacific Command commander and the USFK commander have stressed the importance of the role of the USFK and expressed negative views on a possible withdrawal or reduction,' the official explained. 'The US' National Defense Authorization Act has also consistently included the part which calls for the maintenance of the current USFK troop strength.' The report, which came as South Korea heads into a snap presidential election on June 3, triggered by former President Yoon Suk Yeol's impeachment and removal from office, prompted reactions from the political sphere. People Power Party presidential candidate Kim Moon-soo on Thursday expressed concerns about front-runner and rival Democratic Party of Korea candidate Lee Jae-myung's past remark that labeled the USFK as 'an occupying force.' 'Candidate Lee Jae-myung in the past, undermined the USFK by calling them an occupying force and labeling the combined military exercises among South Korea, US and Japan as an extreme pro-Japanese act,' Kim wrote on Facebook in the afternoon. Kim claimed that 'worries have been spreading' across the country that the USFK's withdrawal could materialize if Lee is elected president. 'Candidate Lee Jae-myung should apologize for his past remarks (calling the USFK) an occupying force and clearly reveal his stance toward the South Korea-US alliance.' Minor conservative New Reform Party candidate Lee Jun-seok told the press that South Korea should 'be confident' in dealing with the US regarding the issues of the USFK, after attending a memorial service for late President Roh Moo-hyun in the southeastern rural village of Bongha, South Gyeongsang Province, in the morning. 'The USFK is stationed here due to the US' strategic understanding -- South Korea must come up with the best outcome for our people by strengthening our own defense capabilities on one side and convincing the US that we can cooperate for the benefit of the US' security,' he added. Lee has yet to release a statement on the matter, but Cho Seung-rae, the Democratic Party's chief spokesperson, highlighted the role of the USFK in protecting 'the peace in the Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region' and 'deterring North Korea threats.' 'It's a topic that should be calmly discussed (between Seoul and Washington) based on the value we share in our alliance,' Cho told reporters after attending the same morning memorial service. 'From the perspective of the South Korea-US alliance, the role of the USFK, which deters threats from North Korea and contributes to the peace in Northeast Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, is clear. And I believe that both the ruling and the opposition parties' thoughts and South Korea's and the US' perspectives on the matter are not different.'
