Nexus: Southchinasea

Japan sends "destroyer" to SouthChinaSea to send a "strong message" to China over disputed islands and reefs

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The Maritime Self-Defense Force said Tuesday that it will dispatch its destroyer Ise to a multinational maritime exercise to be hosted by the Indonesian navy on April 12-16.

The 13,950-ton vessel will travel in the South China Sea to join the Komodo Exercise set to be conducted in areas near the western Indonesian city of Padang.

Dispatching the Ise has nothing to do with the U.S. Navy’s freedom of navigation operation near artificial islands that China built in the South China Sea, MSDF officials said.

But the move can be seen as a joint effort by Japan and the United States to counter China’s maritime assertiveness in the South China Sea.

The Japanese destroyer is also expected to make a port call in Subic Bay in the Philippines, where the MSDF submarine Oyashio arrived on Sunday.

The Ise is based in Kure, Hiroshima Prefecture. Multiple helicopters can simultaneously land on and take off from the vessel.

The exercise is expected to include the participation of member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plus several other countries.

Adm. Tomohisa Takei, MSDF chief of staff, told a news conference he hopes that the MSDF’s participation in the exercise will improve its tactical skills and help promote mutual understanding and trust among the participating countries.

During the exercise period, an Indonesian-led international naval review and the Western Pacific Naval Symposium are scheduled to be held. Takei is slated to attend both events.

Asian nations seeking closer US ties over China – Pentagon

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WASHINGTON, United States - Asian countries are seeking to strengthen military ties with the United States in the face of Beijing's expansionist ambitions in the South China Sea, Pentagon chief Ashton Carter said Friday ahead of a regional visit that will not include a China stop.

"Almost all the nations there are asking us to do more with them... bilaterally and multilaterally," Carter told the Council on Foreign Relations think tank in New York, before he heads off on a trip next week that includes India and the Philippines.

"Indeed, in the South China Sea, China's actions are raising regional tensions," added Carter, who was invited to Beijing and accepted a visit sometime in the spring.

But the trip was shelved several weeks ago because of what a US defense official called a scheduling problem.

"Countries across the Asia-Pacific are voicing concern with militarization, and especially with China’s actions, which stand out in size and scope," Carter said.

He added: "That’s why many of those countries are reaching out anew to the United States to uphold the rules and principles that have allowed the region to thrive."

China lays claim to almost all of the contested South China Sea, which is important for international shipping and believed to hold valuable mineral and energy deposits.

Neighboring countries and Washington fear China could impose military controls over the entire South China Sea, and Beijing has in recent months built massive structures including radar systems and an airstrip over reefs and outcrops.

Carter reiterated the US line urging a diplomatic solution to ease tensions in the South China Sea, where the Philippines, a US ally, is among the claimants.

Ties between Washington and Beijing have been prickly over a range of issues, the South China Sea prime among them.

- See more at: http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/562046/news/world/asian-nations-seeking-closer-us-ties-over-china-pentagon#sthash.9hQJAMdR.dpuf

Indonesia is preparing to deploy Skyshield air defence system in SouthChinaSea

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Indonesia aims to deploy its latest air defence system on an island in the South China Sea
The plan represents yet another militarisation effort in the tense maritime region
The Indonesian Air Force (Tentara Nasional Indonesia - Angkatan Udara, or TNI-AU) is preparing to deploy four units of a special forces ground corps known as the Korps Pasukan Khas (PASKHAS) on Pulau Natuna Besar, the largest of the Natuna Islands cluster in the South China Sea.
The units are equipped with the Rheinmetall-made Oerlikon Skyshield air defence system and will be stationed in the north of Pulau Natuna Besar and along the eastern coast of the TNI-AU's Ranai airbase.
The planned deployment was revealed in a transcript provided to IHS Jane's on 5 April of a meeting on TNI-AU funding requests between Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) commander General Gatot Nurmantyo and the Indonesian House of Representatives commission on defence, intelligence, and foreign affairs (Komisi I).
Skyshield is modular air defence system including a 35 mm automatic multirole cannon that can fire up to 1,000 rds/min at hostile aircraft and precision-guided munitions. The system is currently in use at the TNI-AU's Supadio, Halim Perdanakusuma, and Hasanuddin air bases.
Also presented during the meeting was a request to fund the acquisition of more medium-range air defence systems for Pulau Natuna Besar, facilities to accommodate up to eight fighter aircraft on Ranai air base that may include the Su-27, Su-30 or F-16, and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) squadron facility that will be stationed on the east of Runway 36 of Ranai airbase.
The aircraft and UAV facilities are expected to cost some USD91 million and the TNI has said it aims to complete these by 2019, if the request for funding is approved.
As the TNI is still evaluating its options for acquiring medium-range air defence systems no requested sum was revealed for these systems.

Nexus

Japan sends "destroyer" to SouthChinaSea to send a "strong message" to China over disputed islands and reefs

Asian nations seeking closer US ties over China – Pentagon

Indonesia is preparing to deploy Skyshield air defence system in SouthChinaSea

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