Amid heightened tensions between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China, ahead of the inauguration of president-elect Lai Ching-te in Taiwan, the United States and Taiwan conducted unannounced and ‘unplanned’ exercises in the West Pacific during ‘routine encounters’ between the two navies in the open ocean according to a Reuters report citing unnamed sources.
One source said “multiple military assets” were involved. A second source said the drills did not officially exist and were dubbed “unplanned sea encounters”, pointing to a tacit agreement in which both sides claim the exercises were simply the result of coincidental encounters.
Reuters
These previously-unannounced drills come between a series of high-profile exercises, the first of which included Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) surface vessels. These ships participated in a trilateral exercise with the USS Theodore Roosevelt Strike Group in mid-April which focused on interoperability, warfighting capability, and readiness.
That trilateral exercise concluded as Balikatan 24 began in the Philippines, which Naval News reported on previously here. Balikatan 24 brought together the Philippine Armed Forces, U.S. Armed Forces, Australian Defense Forces, and for the first time ever, the French Navy. This year’s Balikatan exercises focused on counter-landing operations and maritime domain awareness alongside the traditional focus on interoperability, expeditionary capabilities, and readiness.
Between those planned exercises was a small but significant operation with the Republic of China Navy (ROCN) and United States Navy (USN). According to the report, the exercise featured half a dozen ships ranging from supply vessels to frigates. Activities ranged from basic communications and resupply operations to joint anti-submarine warfare (ASW) operations.
“Although the ‘unplanned encounters’ of the two navies involved mostly basic exercises, such drills are vital to ensure the two militaries can operate together in times of emergency. The two navies also practiced various tactical manoeuvres, including searching for underwater targets.”
Reuters
According to Taiwanese Ministry of National Defense (MND) spokesperson Major General Sun Li-fang, the drills were conducted in accordance with the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea (CUES) used to manage interactions between different militaries at sea.
A similar scenario under CUES occurred in 2016 when DDG-90 USS Chafee encountered two ROCN frigates—Kang Ding and Cheng Ho—and a support ship, Panshih, returning from a goodwill trip. Following CUES, both the USS Chafee and the Taiwanese surface group established communications to share range, speed, bearing, and other navigational information to ensure safety.
The disclosure of these exercises comes closely after Taiwanese Chief of General Staff Admiral Mei Chia-shu was spotted in Hawaii attending the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) change of command ceremony without official announcement or acknowledgement on May 3rd, 2024.
The following month, China conducted several high profile exercises around the island of Taiwan in a two-day exercise from May 23-24 dubbed “Joint Sword-2024A” directly following the inauguration of Taiwanese President-elect Lai Ching-te. The exercises mirrored those conducted after a high profile visit by Nancy Pelosi in 2022, involving a near encirclement of the island in exercise zones located around nearly all of Taiwan’s deep water ports.
On May 29th, Tiger Strike 2024 (TS 24), a bilateral exercise between the United States and Malaysia began, just days after China ended Joint Sword-2024A. ” 1,100 U.S. Marines from USS Somerset LPD-25 will participate alongside 300 members of the 10th Parachute Brigade. This year’s iteration of Tiger Strike will focus on amphibious warfare, multi-domain awareness, and unmanned aerial systems employment. Tiger Strike 2024 is planned from May 31 to June 6.
“Strategic engagement with countries such as Malaysia reflects the importance of our relationships with Indo-Pacific Allies and partners. Tiger Strike allow[s] us to work side-by-side with our Malaysian counterparts to refine our common defense requirements and meet national security objectives.”
Capt. Tate Robinson, commodore, Amphibious Squadron Five
In early June, the United States, Japan, and South Korea announced an upcoming trilateral exercise dubbed “Freedom Edge“, a blend of Freedom Shield and Keen Edge, two separate exercises that the United States participates in with South Korea and Japan respectively. The combined exercise will be the first of its kind to be held between Japan, South Korea, and the United States. Read more about this upcoming trilateral exercise here.
These high profile exercises conducted across the West Pacific set the stage for Rim of the Pacific 2024 (RIMPAC 24) planned for June 28 to August 2. 29 nations, 40 surface ships, 3 submarines, 14 national land forces, 150+ aircraft and more than 25,000 personnel will participate in this year’s iteration of the biennial exercise hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii. Italian carrier Cavour and its Strike Group will participate as well as a French Navy FREMM air defense frigate.
