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US, Allies Deepen Military Ties in Pacific Drills Amid China Concerns

From Liberty Times · () Chinese

Translated from Chinese, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • The world's largest multinational maritime exercise, RIMPAC, concluded with record participation, highlighting deepening military cooperation among US allies in the Pacific.
  • Despite US President Trump's criticisms, military partnerships are strengthening to counter China's assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear program.
  • Increased scale in RIMPAC and other regional drills like Talisman Sabre and Cobra Gold reflects a growing collaborative defense posture in Asia.

The world's largest multinational maritime exercise, the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) drills, concluded on July 31 with unprecedented participation, underscoring a steady deepening of military cooperation among US allies in the Pacific. The exercise, which involved 30 nations and approximately 30,000 personnel, featured 31 surface ships and five submarines, conducting over 500 drills and 2,400 air missions.

Despite friction with the US over defense spending and security commitments, allies are reinforcing their military ties. This collaboration aims to counter China's increasingly aggressive stance in the South China Sea and North Korea's expanding nuclear program. The Philippines, facing China's assertiveness, participated for the first time with its coast guard, the only non-US coast guard unit to join.

Having 30, 50, or 100 friends is better than having only one or two formal alliances.

— Takao KobayashiJapanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Takao Kobayashi commented on the value of broad partnerships during the RIMPAC exercise.

The evolving command structure within RIMPAC also signals a shift. This year, only three top positions were held by Americans, with Japan and South Korea taking on significant command roles. Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Takao Kobayashi served as Deputy Combined Task Force Commander, while South Korean Navy Rear Adm. Kim In-ho became the first Asian officer to command the Combined Maritime Forces, overseeing all sea exercise components.

As Asia lacks a unified collective defense framework like NATO, exercises like RIMPAC serve as crucial opportunities for the US and its allies to practice joint operations and demonstrate their strengthening self-defense capabilities. The growing scale of other multinational drills in the region, including Australia's Talisman Sabre, Thailand's Cobra Gold, and the Philippines' Balikatan, further illustrates this trend. "Having 30, 50, or 100 friends is better than having only one or two formal alliances," noted Kobayashi, highlighting the value of broad partnerships.

I am sure when they see 30 like-minded nations working together, there will be a deterrent effect.

— Jeffrey JablonUS Pacific Fleet Deputy Commander Jeffrey Jablon expressed confidence in the deterrent effect of the multinational RIMPAC exercise.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Liberty Times in Chinese. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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