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| China-Japan-Koreas |
| Russia-China exercise piques interest of Pacific Fleet boss |
| 2005-08-23 |
| The new commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet said Wednesday the Navy is âvery interestedâ in the first-ever joint military exercises China and Russia are due to hold over the next eight days. In an interview with The Associated Press about one month after assuming his post, Adm. Gary Roughead said heâll be watching to see what kind of equipment the two countries will use and how theyâll work together. âWeâre very interested in the exercise, weâre interested in the types of things that theyâll do,â Roughead said. âWeâre interested in the complexity and the types of systems that they bring to bear.â China and Russia plan to gather some 10,000 troops from their land, sea and air forces for joint drills dubbed âPeace Mission 2005â on Chinaâs northeastern coast. Roughead declined to say whether the United States would dispatch ships of its own to monitor the exercises starting Thursday, replying only that âI donât talk about the specifics of our operations.â The admiral said he was curious how the two navies would operate and how they would command and control their forces. He added he would also be looking at how they would âintegrate in a combined way.â Analysts say the joint exercises are primarily an opportunity for Moscow to showcase its weaponry to Beijing, an active consumer of Russian military hardware. The two nations are also expected to use the opportunity to display their military power. Roughead, 54, takes command of the Pacific Fleet as the Pentagon mulls moving an aircraft carrier to either Guam or Hawaii from the U.S. mainland and perhaps shift more submarines to the region. Not only is the military is keen to edge closer to potential hot spots in the Taiwan Straits or North Korea, it is also eager to ensure piracy and terrorism donât close down vital sea lanes used by some of the worldâs biggest trading nations. âThereâs a growing sense in our country and military that our future is going to be very heavily tied to Asia,â Roughead said. âThe imperative of maintaining stability and the prosperity in the region will be the key to our security and prosperity in the future.â The admiral said it was âan exciting time to be involved, particularly in the Pacificâ as the military reshapes its forces in response to significant changes in the world and to warfare since the end of World War II. Roughead, who has spent five of the last 12 years in Pacific posts, said he has been watching as China has upgraded its military, taking note as its submarine patrols and surface ships have pushed beyond earlier areas of operation closer to its eastern coast. He said he was most curious about Chinaâs motives. âClearly they are modernizing very quickly, theyâre acquiring and producing some very capable systems. So itâs easy to see the capability that theyâre building,â Roughead said. âThe great interest I have is to what purpose do they want to use the military. How do they seek to employ it in the future and what does it mean for the region?â Last month, a Pentagon report said China is building up its military for the long-term goal of projecting its power well beyond Taiwan â a self-governing island China claims as its own territory. The annual survey said the Chinese military is buying new weapon systems while developing new doctrine for modern warfare and improving training standards. âThe big question is whatâs it for?â Roughead said. âItâs still a little unclear what their intentions are in developing a military with the type of capability and reach they have.â Last month, Adm. William Fallon, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Command, told the AP he didnât see any nation posing a threat to China and that U.S. forces should not be interpreted as threatening Beijing. As head of the Pacific Fleet, Roughead commands close to 240,000 sailors, Marines, and civilians from the U.S. West Coast to the East Coast of Africa â an area spanning half the earthâs surface. Until last month, Roughead was Fallonâs deputy at the Pacific Command, which is responsible for all branches of the U.S. military in the Asia-Pacific region. |
| Posted by:Zhang Fei |