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☆ RIMPAC: US Air Force B-2 bomber used in exercise to sink surface ship with low-cost bomb
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-27 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Earlier this month, the US and allies practiced taking out a large surface ship with long-range weapons, including, for the first time, a US Air Force B-2 bomber. It showed the US military can use one of its most survivable weapons platforms, the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber, to sink a major surface ship with a low-cost guided bomb. The Air Force says its stealthy characteristics allow it to penetrate heavily defended areas and also fly with a small chance of being detected by radar at high altitudes. Mating it up with relatively cheap and demonstrably effective precision-guided bombs with warheads of up to 2,000 pounds could give the Air Force bombers the “anti-ship lethality” of a submarine-launched torpedo without the liabilities of a submarine, according to a US Air Force website. The Air Force first tested QUICKSINK in 2022, when an F-15 fighter jet released a GBU-31 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) that destroyed a full-scale surface target in the Gulf of Mexico, according to an Air Force statement.

Persons: ”, Seleena Muhammad, QUICKSINK, Carl Schuster, ” Schuster, Jon Husman, Alessio Patalano, Mark Hammond, Australia’s, “, LSIS Daniel Goodman, USS Fitzgerald, John Wade, RIMPAC, John Bradford, ” Bradford, Zhongping Organizations: South Korea CNN, US Air Force, US, Air Force, Munitions, Royal Air Force, U.S . Air Force, Navy, Air Force Research, Liberation Army Navy, PLAN, US Pacific Command Joint Intelligence Center, U.S . Navy, King’s College, US Navy, Ship, 3rd Fleet, Royal Australian Navy, Naval, Australia, Royal Australian, Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace, US Navy destroyer, US Marine Corps, Task Force, Foreign Relations International Affairs, Times, PLA Navy, Global Times, ” Global Times Locations: Seoul, South Korea, Kauai, China, Tarawa, England, U.S, Gulf of Mexico, Pacific, Taiwan, Philippines, Japan, London, Oahu, Hawaii, Norwegian, USS Dubuque, ‘, Malaysia, Netherlands, China China, Asia, Taiwan Strait, South China

☆ Chinese military harassed Dutch warship enforcing UN sanctions on North Korea, Netherlands says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

Seoul, South Korea CNN —A Dutch warship was harassed by Chinese military aircraft in the East China Sea on Friday, the Netherlands said, becoming the latest country to accuse Beijing’s forces of initiating potentially unsafe encounters in international waters. PSMX partner nations include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States, according to the US State Department. This handout picture shows the Dutch frigate Tromp approached in the East China Sea by a Chinese fighter jet. “As a warning, the Chinese military took necessary measures at the scene. Hours later, a Chinese military spokesman accused the United States of “creating division and provoking confrontation” in the region.

Persons: South Korea CNN —, Beijing’s, HNLMS Tromp, “, ”, Tromp, China’s People’s, Richard Marles, Lin Jian, Maj, Rob Millen, Lloyd Austin, Washington, Austin, Jing Jianfeng Organizations: South Korea CNN, Dutch Defense Ministry, CNN, United Nations, Pacific Security Maritime Exchange, European Union, UN Security Council, US State Department, Netherlands Ministry of Defence, South Korean Navy, China’s People’s Liberation Army, South China, Australian Defense, Foreign, Canadian, Royal Canadian Navy, Royal Canadian Air Force, US, NATO, Joint Staff Department, Military Commission Locations: Seoul, South Korea, East, Netherlands, North Korea, Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States, Chinese, East China, Busan, South, Hobart, China, South China, Ottawa, Pacific, Singapore, Asia, Ukraine

☆ US vs. Chinese aircraft carriers: How the world's top flattops stack up
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-01 | by ( Benjamin Brimelow | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

Liaoning and ShandongAircraft carrier Liaoning set out for sea trials at Dalian shipyard with the help of tugboats. A J-15 fighter takes off from aircraft carrier Shandong during the combat readiness patrol and military exercises around Taiwan. Aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford sails in the Adriatic Sea. China has no experience operating carrier catapults on its warships (though it did study carrier catapults when it purchased the decommissioned Australian carrier HMAS Melbourn from Canberra in 1985 under the guise of scrapping). AdvertisementChina's third aircraft carrier, the Fujian, docks in Shanghai with a Chinese flag seen in the foreground.

Persons: —, Kuznetsov, Pu, Gerald R, Ford, George H.W, George H.W . Bush, Smith, Jackson Adkins, John F, Kennedy, Doris Miller, Dwight D, Eisenhower, Jacob Mattingly, Li Gang, Timothy Heath, Heath, China's, Benjamin Brimelow Organizations: Service, US Navy, Business, Shandong Aircraft, Getty, People's Liberation Army Navy, Getty Images Fujian, EA, Jiangnan Shipyard, Getty Images, PLAN, Xinhua News Agency, Nimitz, Ford, Aircraft, Greyhound, Navy, Carrier, USS Enterprise, Pacific Fleet, Shandong, RAND Corporation, US, Global Affairs, Fletcher School of Law, Diplomacy, Modern, Institute Locations: Shanghai, Fujian, China, China's, Liaoning, Dalian, Shandong, Soviet, Ukraine, Taiwan, Xinhua, Getty Images China, George H.W ., Adriatic, Melbourn, Canberra, Sanya, Hainan Province, West

☆ Chinese warplane fired flares, put Australian Navy helicopter in danger, Canberra says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The Chinese jet “dropped flares about 300 meters (984 feet) in front of the Seahawk helicopter and about 60 meters (197 feet) above it,” Marles said in an interview with 9 News on Monday. The MH-60 Seahawk is a twin-engine helicopter and carries a crew of three, according to the Australian Navy. “They’re in international waters, international airspace, and they’re doing work to ensure that the sanctions that the world has imposed through the United Nations on North Korea, due to their intransient and reckless behavior, are enforced,” the prime minister told CNN affiliate Nine News. According to Australian public broadcaster ABC, Australian Navy Vice Adm. Mark Hammond raised the Toowoomba incident in a meeting with Chinese navy Adm. Hu Zhongming at an international naval symposium in Qingdao. Earlier in 2022, Australia said a Chinese warship used a laser to “illuminate” an Australian P-8A aircraft in waters north of Australia.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, ” Marles, Albanese, “, ” Albanese, “ We’ve, ”, Maj, Rob Millen, Peter Dutton, Xi Jinping, ” Dutton, Mark Hammond, Hu Zhongming, Hammond Organizations: South Korea CNN —, Seahawk, Nations, Defense Ministry, Australian Defense, Australian Navy, United Nations, North, Australian Defense Ministry, CNN, Nine, Royal Canadian Navy, Australian Defence Force, Nine News, Australian, ABC, ” ABC, Pilots Locations: Seoul, South Korea, South Korea CNN — Australia, North Korea, Canberra, Beijing, China, Canadian, South, Ottawa, Australia, Philippines, Japan, United States, Chinese, Toowoomba, Qingdao, “, South China Sea, ”, Australian

☆ A Chinese fighter jet popped flares in the path of an Australian military helicopter in an 'unsafe' Yellow Sea intercept, Canberra says
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Ella Sherman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewThe Australian government said Monday that a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter jet released flares dangerously close to an Australian Defence Force helicopter over the weekend. The PLAAF jet intercepted the Royal Australian Navy MH-60R helicopter attached to HMAS Hobart in the Yellow Sea and "released flares across the flight path of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) helicopter," the Australian government said in a statement. Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles said a Chinese J-10 fighter aircraft popped flares about 300 meters in front of the helicopter and about 60 meters above it, per reporting from the AP. Related stories"This was an unsafe manoeuvre which posed a risk to the aircraft and personnel," the statement said. This isn't the first incident involving a Chinese jet engaging in troubling behavior in the vicinity of an Australian aircraft.

Persons: —, Operation, Richard Marles Organizations: Service, Liberation Army Air Force, Australian Defence Force, Royal Australian Navy, ADF, Business, Australian Defense, China, of Defense, Military, Security, U.S Locations: Hobart, North Korea, Chinese, Canberra, Beijing, Australian, China, People's Republic of China

☆ China concerns bring new unity to once-turbulent US-Japan-Philippines relationship ahead of major White House summit
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-08 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +11 min

Both the Philippines and Japan are US defense treaty allies, and the US military retains permanent bases in Japan and has base rights in the Philippines. That threat is manifested in three key areas – Taiwan, the South China Sea and the Japanese-controlled Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea, analysts say. Here's why 03:27 - Source: CNNJapan and Philippines both have separate territorial disputes with China, in the former’s case the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea and in the latter’s areas of the South China Sea. Meanwhile, China claims the shoal, which is in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone, as its sovereign territory, as it does much of the South China Sea, in defiance of an international arbitration ruling. “Alliance building is the most practical way to deal with China’s moves” in the South China Sea, he said.

Persons: ”, James D.J, Brown, Joe Biden, Fumio Kishida, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Xi Jinping, Biden, Micah Jeiel Perez, Marcos, Kishida, ” Marcos, Shinzo Abe, Ricardo Jose, ” Jose, Thomas, CNN Marcos, Shoal, China –, Masaharu Homma, –, Perez, Rodrigo Duterte, Marcos Jr’s, Duterte, Thomas Shoal, Veejay Villafranca, Robert Ward, BRP Antonio Luna, you’ve, Donald, Trump, ” Brown, “, Ward Organizations: South Korea CNN, White, Temple University, Japanese, Taiwan –, Communist Party, Taiwan Relations, University of, Nikkei Asia, University of the, “, CNN, East China, Philippine, China Coast Guard, US, US State Department, Gen, “ Alliance, Clark Air Base, Naval, Bloomberg, Getty, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Cooperative, Philippine Navy, BRP, Royal Australian Navy, Self, Defense Forces, JS Akebono, US Navy, USS, Multilateral Maritime Cooperative, Armed Forces, AP Analysts Locations: Seoul, South Korea, United States, Japan, Philippines, China, Tokyo, Philippine, Taiwan, Washington, South, Senkaku, East China, University of the Philippines, CNN Japan, East, South China, Palawan, China – Washington, Beijing, Spain, Spanish, Imperial Japan, New Orleans, Bataan, Subic, Manila, US, Australia, India, Vietnam, Warramunga, IISS

☆ CNN took an 11-day cruise through some of the most-contested waters on Earth. Here’s what we learned
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-03 | by ( Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +23 min

China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory. In daylight hours in the South China Sea, from Ottawa’s flight deck or outdoor bridge wings, Chinese warships are often visible to the naked eye. Aviator Gregory Cole/Canadian Armed Forces PhotoOn October 29, things take a potentially dangerous turn, one that could have cost lives and ratcheted up tensions in the South China Sea to new levels. Radar operators scan their instruments in a Canadian antisubmarine warfare helicopter over the East China Sea. Hammerhead targets drones await their fate on the deck of the frigate HMCS Ottawa in the South China Sea.

Persons: Sam Patchell, Jacob Broderick ,, Ben Hughes, Gregory Cole, he’s, “, King Neptune, Xi Jinping, Brad Lendon, Rafael Peralta, Collin Koh, ” Patchell, Patchell, Aviator Gregory Cole, ”, haven’t, Xi, Rob Millen, they’d, Long, Peralta, It’s, Qinetiq, Noble, That’s, Cmdr, Sean Milley, Christine Hurov, Wally Shirra, it’s, Wally Schirra, Loverboy’s, Australia’s, doesn’t, We’ll Organizations: HMCS, HMCS Ottawa CNN, Royal Canadian Navy, Canada, United, Naval Warfare Officers, Canadian Armed Forces, US Navy, Ottawa, CNN, Canada’s Defense Ministry, Chinese Communist Party, Coast Guard, Rajaratnam, of International Studies, People’s Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy, United Nations, Ottawa's, Cyclone, Canadian, Royal Canadian Air Force, Chinese Defense Ministry, Pentagon, troika, Peralta, Brisbane, CNN Radio, New, New Zealand Navy’s, Cmdr, HMNZS Aotearoa, Australian, Southern Hemisphere, One Locations: HMCS Ottawa, Taiwan, Ottawa, China, United States, Canadian, South China, Gaza, Ukraine, East, Washington, Singapore, Beijing, Spratly, Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, Chinese, South, East China, CNN Beijing, Canada, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast, Australian, Brisbane, Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Okinawa, replenishments, Aotearoa, American, Ottawa’s

☆ Safety of Defence Personnel 'Utmost Priority', Australia Says After China Warship Incident
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Nov. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - The safety and wellbeing of Australian defence personnel is Canberra's "utmost priority" and Australia expects all countries to operate militaries in a safe and professional manner, Foreign Minister Penny Wong said on Tuesday. Wong's comments came a week after an incident involving a Chinese warship and an Australian navy vessel in Japan's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in which an Australian military diver was injured. HMAS Toowoomba - a long-range frigate - was conducting a diving operation on Nov. 14 to clear fishing nets from its propellers when the Chinese warship acted in a dangerous manner, Australia has said. India's relations with China have deteriorated since a 2020 border clash between their militaries in which 20 Indian soldiers and four Chinese troops were killed. Australia, she added, "will cooperate where we can, we will disagree where we must, and we will engage in our national interest".

Persons: Penny Wong, Wong's, Anthony Albanese's, Wong, Subrahmanyam, Richard Marles, YP Rajesh, Krishn Kaushik, Sharon Singleton Organizations: PLA Navy, Liberation Army Navy, PLA, Defence, Indian, YP Locations: DELHI, Australian, Japan's, New Delhi, Toowoomba, Australia, Beijing, Canberra, Ningbo, China, India

☆ Australia PM says Chinese navy incident that injured diver was 'dangerous'
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Loren Elliott/File photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 20 (Reuters) - Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said a Chinese warship acted in a dangerous and unprofessional manner during an incident with an Australian navy vessel that injured a military diver, his first comments on the matter which he said had damaged ties. In an interview on Monday with Sky News Australia, Albanese said the incident caused injury to one person and shows the need for "communication guardrails" between militaries. "This was dangerous, it was unsafe and unprofessional from the Chinese warship," he said. A People's Liberation Army Navy destroyer closed towards HMAS Toowoomba, despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of a diving operation, and operated its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a safety risk, Marles previously said. The Chinese embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Xi Jinping, Anthony Albanese, Loren Elliott, Richard Marles, Albanese, Xi, we've, Marles, Kirsty Needham, Lincoln Organizations: Australia's, Economic Cooperation, REUTERS, Rights, HMAS, Defence, Sky News Australia, APEC, Liberation Army Navy, Thomson Locations: Asia, San Francisco , California, U.S, Australian, HMAS Toowoomba, San Francisco, China, Australia

☆ Australian leader Albanese accuses Chinese navy of ‘dangerous’ conduct
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nectar Gan | Brad Lendon | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has accused the Chinese navy of “dangerous, unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after an incident in international waters near Japan, marking a potential friction point with Beijing weeks after he visited the Chinese capital to stabilize relations. Australian divers aboard the long-range frigate HMAS Toowoomba were trying to clear fishing nets from its propellers on November 14 when a Chinese destroyer approached, Defense Minister Richard Marles said in a statement Saturday. Despite being warned that a diving operation was underway, the Chinese destroyer operated its sonar in a manner that “posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers,” the statement said. In the Sky News interview, Albanese sidestepped a question on whether the incident will make bilateral relations “look shaky” now. And this is one of those times where we disagree with the action of China,” Albanese said.

Persons: Anthony Albanese, Richard Marles, Albanese, ” Albanese, Xi Jinping, “, ”, “ We’ve, Marles, Ray Powell, SeaLight, Powell, ” Powell Organizations: CNN, Australian, Defense, Sky News, APEC, China’s Defense Ministry, Liberation Army Navy, PLA Navy, Military, United, “ Defense, National Security, Stanford University, US Air Force Locations: Japan, Beijing, Toowoomba, Chinese, China, San Fransisco, London, United Nations, Australia, East, South China, South, Canada, Australian

☆ Australia criticises China for 'unsafe, unprofessional' naval interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Australia's Defence Minister Richard Marles attends a joint news conference with France's Foreign and Defence ministers at the Quai d'Orsay in Paris, France, January 30, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSYDNEY, Nov 18 (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Sarah Meyssonnier, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: Australia's, France's Foreign, Quai d'Orsay, REUTERS, Rights, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S, Thomson Locations: Paris, France, China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia Criticises China for 'Unsafe, Unprofessional' Naval Interaction
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-17 | by ( Nov. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australia's government said on Saturday it had expressed serious concerns to China after an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction between an Australian navy vessel and Chinese warship left Australian military divers injured. "While diving operations were underway a PLA-N destroyer (DDG-139) operating in the vicinity closed towards HMAS Toowoomba," Marles said in a statement, referring to a ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy. He said despite the Australian vessel notifying the Chinese warship of the diving operation and requesting that it keep clear, the destroyer approached "at a closer range". "Soon after, it was detected operating its hull-mounted sonar in a manner that posed a risk to the safety of the Australian divers who were forced to exit the water." The conduct was "unsafe and unprofessional", Marles said.

Persons: Richard Marles, Marles, Sam McKeith, Tom Hogue Organizations: SYDNEY, Defence, PLA, HMAS, People's Liberation Army Navy, Solomon Islands, U.S Locations: China, Australian, Toowoomba, HMAS Toowoomba, Australia, Solomon, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia to retire Taipan helicopter fleet early after crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Renju Jose | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The Taipan fleet will not return to flying operations before the previously planned withdrawal date of December 2024, Defence Minister Richard Marles said. Australia in January said it would buy 40 Black Hawk military helicopters, manufactured by Lockheed Martin (LMT.N), for an estimated A$2.8 billion ($1.80 billion). The Black Hawks are set to replace the Australian army's fleet of Taipan helicopters, which have been plagued for years by maintenance issues. "The first of the 40 Black Hawks that will replace the (Taipan) MRH-90 have arrived and are already flying in Australia. Marles acknowledged there would be "capability challenges" without an operational Taipan fleet and as defence waits for the delivery of more Black Hawks.

Persons: Dinuka, Richard Marles, Lockheed Martin, Marles, Italy's Leonardo, Leonardo, Renju Jose, Jamie Freed Organizations: Australian Navy, Australian Landing Helicopter, REUTERS, Rights, United States, Black Hawk, Lockheed, Black Hawks, Australian, Airbus, ABC, Thomson Locations: Canberra, Colombo, Sri Lanka, Australia, France, Norway, Queensland, United States, Sydney

☆ Australia's new submarines are still 2 decades away from delivery, but the Aussies are already looking out for spies
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-26 | by ( Stavros Atlamazoglou | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Australia is working with the US and UK to build nuclear-powered subs and other military technology. It can be intentional — for example, a foreign intelligence service spreading election conspiracies on social media — or unintentional, as when someone unwittingly shares the foreign intelligence service's social-media posts. Australian officials look at the Collins-class submarine HMAS Collins in September 2021. Those Australian intelligence officials echoed worries that US officials have about foreign efforts to compromise AUKUS. US intelligence officials estimate that Chinese espionage steals US economic secrets worth between $200 billion and $600 billion a year.

Persons: —, Joe Biden, Rishi Sunak, Anthony Albanese, Tayfun, Andrew Shearer, Mike Burgess, Burgess, CPOIS Damian Pawlenko, Azorian, PETER, Stavros Atlamazoglou Organizations: US, Service, Australia, British, Australian, Anadolu Agency, Getty, Australian National Intelligence, of National Intelligence, US Navy, Australian Security Intelligence, ASIO, FBI, Collins, Royal Australian Navy, intel, China Aviation, of State Security, Western, Hellenic Army, 575th Marine Battalion, Army, Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins School, International Studies, Boston College Law School Locations: Australia, France, China, Canberra, San Diego, Virginia, North Dakota, Canada , New Zealand, AUKUS, Soviet, Beijing

☆ Australia says it will conduct more joint patrols with Philippines in South China Sea
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The joint exercises, a first for the two nations, come amid renewed tensions between the Philippines and China in the South China Sea. Marcos spoke to journalists after Friday's beach landing drill in Zambales, near the South China Sea, which he watched with binoculars, accompanied by Marles and Philippines Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro. At a joint news conference with Teodoro, Marles said the first joint patrols of the South China Sea by the two navies would "happen soon". The Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei and Taiwan have claims to certain areas of the South China Sea. Most of Australia's trade goes through the South China Sea, and upholding international rules is a shared strategic interest with the Philippines, he earlier told ABC radio.

Persons: Richard Marles, Caroline Chia, Ferdinand Marcos Jr, Marcos, Marles, Gilbert Teodoro, Teodoro, Anthony Albanese, Kirsty Needham, Karen Lema, Gerry Doyle Organizations: Australian, REUTERS, Rights, Marines, Philippine Navy, Philippines Defense, ABC, Thomson Locations: Singapore, Australia, South, Philippines, Philippine, Canberra, China, South China, Zambales, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, Japan, U.S, Sydney, Manila

☆ USS Canberra personnel parade in Australia capital amid joint war games
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

SYDNEY, July 23 (Reuters) - United States Navy personnel from a newly commissioned U.S. combat ship paraded through Australia's capital on Sunday, as the two allies carry out war games amid China's military build-up in the region. "It's such an honour and a privilege to be able to do this," Captain of the USS Canberra Blue Crew, Will Ashley, told ABC television. "It's a culmination of not just the ship naming, of honouring the city, but the previous HMAS Canberra that was lost in World War Two." The Australian Capital Territory "Freedom of Entry" parade came after a commissioning ceremony for the USS Canberra on Saturday at an Australian naval base on Sydney Harbour. Under the AUKUS project announced in March, the United States and Britain have agreed to help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines.

Persons: Will Ashley, Sam McKeith, Stefica Nicol, William Mallard Organizations: SYDNEY, United States Navy, Independence, Royal Australian Navy, U.S, Marine, USS Canberra Blue, ABC, Australian Capital Territory, USS Canberra, Talisman Sabre, Australia, Stefica Nicol Bikes, Thomson Locations: U.S, Guadalcanal, Canberra, Sydney Harbour, Australia, China, United States, Britain, Sydney

☆ USS Canberra: US commissions first Navy warship in foreign port
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-22 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, July 22 (Reuters) - The United States commissioned a warship in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday, the first time a U.S. Navy vessel joined active service at a foreign port, as the two close allies step up their military ties in response to China's expanding regional reach. "Australians can be proud that this ship, designed in Western Australia by local industry and named after HMAS Canberra, is being commissioned here for the first time in the history of the United States Navy," Australian Defence Minister Marles said in a statement. The commissioning of the U.S. ship in Australian waters reflected "our shared commitment to upholding the rules-based order", he added. Under the AUKUS project announced in March, the United States and Britain have agreed to help Australia acquire a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. Before that, in the early 2030s, the United States is supposed to sell Australia three U.S. Virginia class nuclear-powered submarines, with an option for Australia to buy two more.

Persons: Marles, Sam McKeith, Stephen Coates Organizations: SYDNEY, United, U.S . Navy, Royal Australian Navy, U.S, Marine, Sydney Harbour, United States Navy, Australian Defence, Talisman Sabre, Australia, ., Thomson Locations: United States, Sydney, Australia, U.S, Western Australia, China, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Tonga, Britain, . Virginia

☆ Australia security pact 'stigma' must be removed -Vanuatu PM
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-07 | by ( Kirsty Needham | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SYDNEY, June 7 (Reuters) - Vanuatu Prime Minister Ishmael Kalsakau said his government "must remove the stigma" from a security agreement with Australia and work toward having it ratified by parliament, local media reported on Wednesday. The Pacific Islands nation signed a security treaty covering disaster relief, defence, policing and cyber security with Australia in December, but during a visit by Australia Defence Minister Richard Marles on Tuesday, Vanuatu officials said the document was still being examined. Some Vanuatu politicians who favour ties with China, a major infrastructure lender, have expressed concern over the deal. "We must remove the stigma that the agreement is one-sided and does not reflect Vanuatu’s sovereignty," Kalsakau said in a speech, the Vanuatu Daily Post reported on Wednesday. China's navy sent a ship with humanitarian supplies to Vanuatu in April after two cyclones hit in March.

Persons: Ishmael Kalsakau, Richard Marles, Kalsakau, Kirsty Needham, Editng, Gerry Doyle Organizations: SYDNEY, Vanuatu, Australia, Australia Defence, Vanuatu Daily Post, Australian Defence Force, HMAS Canberra, Thomson Locations: Australia, China, Vanuatu, Washington, United States, Papua New Guinea

☆ The US Navy has its eyes on a new submarine base that will help it keep track of China's growing undersea fleet
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-21 | by ( Christopher Woody | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

As part of the AUKUS agreement, US and British subs will operate out of western Australia by 2027. The deal on the base comes as rivals, mainly China, increase their submarine activity in the region. Ray Mabus, then US navy secretary, departs a Chinese Yuan-class submarine in Ningbo in November 2012. The Defense Department report also says China's six operational Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic-missile subs are likely already conducting "near-continuous at-sea deterrence patrols," a sign that China's submarine force continues to improve its operational capabilities. For the US Navy, those developments make the ability to base subs closer to the Western Pacific a greater priority.

☆ Australia's nuclear submarine plan to cost up to $245 billion by 2055 -defence official
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-13 | by ( Lewis Jackson | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

CANBERRA, March 14 (Reuters) - Australia's nuclear-powered submarine programme with the United States and Britain will cost up to A$368 billion ($245 billion) over the next three decades, a defence official said on Tuesday, the country's biggest single defence project in history. Albanese said the programme would start with a A$6 billion ($4 billion) investment over the next four years to expand a major submarine base and the country's submarine shipyards, as well as train skilled workers. The total cost of the submarine program is estimated to be A$268 billion to A$368 billion by 2055, or roughly 0.15% of gross domestic product per year, a defence official told Reuters. U.S. nuclear-powered submarines will visit Western Australia more frequently this year, with British submarines making port visits starting in 2026. From 2027 the Perth base, HMAS Stirling, will be host to a rotational presence of British and U.S. nuclear-powered submarines to build Australia's experience.

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