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Navy News Week 5-3 NAVY NEWS WEEK 5-3 30 January 2018 US Navy ship sails near disputed shoal claimed by China A U.S. Navy guided missile destroyer sailed within 12 miles of Scarborough Shoal, a small uninhabited reef in the South China Sea claimed by China and the Philippines, said a U.S. official. China's Foreign Ministry accused the United States of trespassing through its territorial waters. The USS Hopper carried out an "innocent passage" within 12 miles of Scarborough Shoal on Wednesday evening, said a U.S. official. The guided missile destroyer was shadowed during the operation by a Chinese Navy ship. The U.S. official described the Hopper’s patrol as an "innocent passage" and not a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) under the strict legal definition, but "the message was the same." Under international law a nation's territorial waters extend 12 miles from its shoreline. Barely above sea level, the chain of reefs and rocks is located 120 miles west of the Philippines and is claimed by China and the Philippines. Since 2012, Chinese government ships have turned away Philippine fishing vessels near the rich fishing grounds surrounding the shoal.In 2016 an international court at The Hague ruled against China’s claim to Scarborough Shoal in a case filed by the Philippines. China's Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Hopper had sailed within its 12 mile territorial limit "without gaining permission from the Chinese government." "What the U.S. vessel did violated China's sovereignty and security interests, put the safety of Chinese vessels and personnel who were in the relevant waters for official duties under grave threat, and contravened the basic norms for international relations," the statement added. "China is strongly dissatisfied with that and will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty," said the statement. The U.S. Navy has previously conducted FONOPs in the South China Sea through other disputed island chains claimed by China, including the Spratleys and the Paracels. Pentagon officials stress that FONOPs are conducted worldwide and are intended to demonstrate freedom of navigation through international waters. "The United States conducts routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do so in the future," said Lt. Commander Nicole Schwegman, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet. "We have a comprehensive FONOP program under which U.S. forces challenge excessive maritime claims across the globe to demonstrate our commitment to uphold the rights, freedoms and lawful uses of the sea and airspace guaranteed to all nations under international law. FONOPs are not about any one country, nor are they about making political statements. FONOPS are designed to comply with international law and not threaten the lawful security interest of coastal States." Source: ABCnews Always remember that the US is NOT a signatory to UNCLOS 1982. China vows 'necessary measures' in S.China Sea By Yang Sheng Source:Global Times Published: 2018/1/21 21:53:39 US warships' provocative sailing in the South China Sea will only serve to force China to strengthen its defense capability, said analysts after the USS Hopper, a guided missile destroyer, came within 12 nautical miles of Huangyan Island on Wednesday. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang on Saturday vowed "necessary measures" will be undertaken to safeguard the country's sovereignty. Lu said the US action has broken basic protocols of international relations, voicing China's strong dissatisfaction. Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, also warned the US on Saturday not to "cause trouble out of nothing." According to Wu, Chinese missile destroyer Huangshan immediately conducted an identification and warning process to drive USS Hopper away on Wednesday. This is the first provocative act in the South China Sea by the US navy in 2018, and is very likely not to be the last, said An Gang, a senior research fellow at the Pangoal Institution, a Beijing-based think tank, told the Global Times on Sunday. Even though China now has overwhelming strategic deterrence capability in the South China Sea, the US, with assistance from allies like Japan, Australia and Singapore, won't end provocations easily, said An. Under joint efforts by China and the ASEAN, the situation around the South China Sea is becoming more stable and more positive, Wu said. The deliberately provocative act by the US has threatened China's sovereignty and security, harmed regional peace and stability, and is counterproductive to the stable development of relations between the two countries and their militaries, Wu stated. China and ASEAN countries have agreed to use negotiations to solve problems, so the US and other non-regional forces no longer have an excuse to get involved in the South China Sea issue to some extent, An said. "But the stance of some regional countries, like the Philippines and Vietnam, is not that important to the US. If they want to be used by the US, the US will use them, if they don't agree with the US, the US will ignore them and do what it wants." China wants to explore the region peacefully and jointly with regional states, and share its facilities with the neighbors, but the US' provocation can only force China to strengthen its defense capacity, and then China will gain de facto dominance in the region step by step, An suggested. Necessary countermeasures The Chinese military will continue to fulfill its defensive duties and intensify its patrols in the air and at sea, in order to firmly safeguard the sovereignty and security of the country and regional peace and stability, said Wu of the defense ministry. "China will take necessary measures to firmly safeguard its sovereignty," Lu said. Militarily, the US' provocation is pointless, because China's navy is capable of dealing with it anytime, said Zhang Ye, a research fellow at the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Naval Research Institute. "In order to safeguard the hard-won stability of the region, PLA warships need to act cautiously when they engage US naval vessels. China can show a tougher stance on the diplomatic front." China has multiple countermeasures it could take, such as speeding up the construction of its islands, including reclamation of Huangyan Island, to improving its law-enforcement and military capability in the region. "The US can do nothing to stop us," said Song Zhongping, a military expert and TV commentator. "China respects and safeguards freedom of navigation and overflight in the South China Sea for all countries in accordance with international law, but resolutely opposes any country's move to impair China's sovereignty and security interests in the name of freedom of navigation and overflight," foreign ministry spokesperson Lu said. Source: http://www.globaltimes.cn In spite of all the Chinese retoric, they have taken no steps. They are concerned about the unpredictability of Trump. Belgium OKs acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels Current Tripartite-class minehunter BNS Narcis (M923). Photo: Belgian Navy The Belgian government on Friday, January 26, decided to give the department of defense its green light for the acquisition of six new mine countermeasure vessels. The order will be placed jointly with the Netherlands Navy which will acquire an identical number of MCM ships. In addition to mine countermeasures, the two countries are collaborating on the purchase of new frigates, two units for each country. Belgium will be in charge of MCM acquisition while the Netherlands is to lead the frigate project. With the government’s approval, the Belgian Navy will spend 1.1 billion euros on the entire MCM project which will include a range of unmanned systems including unmanned surface, aerial and underwater vehicles alongside towed sonars and mine identification and neutralization ROVs. Photo: Belgian Navy According to the Belgian-Dutch Next Generation concept, these detection tools must be able to work separately from their launch platform in the future in order to be able to act faster, more efficiently and, above all, more safely. The new vessels will replace current Tripartite-class minehunters and the command and support ship BNS Godetia. In addition to joint procurement of mine countermeasure vessels and frigates Belgium, in co-operation with the Netherlands, is to lead a Permanent Structured Cooperation on security and defence (PESCO) project on maritime semi-autonomous systems for mine countermeasures. The EU project will aim to deliver a mix of (semi-) autonomous underwater, surface and aerial technologies for the protection of maritime vessels, harbours and offshore installations. Source: Naval Today US defence chief pledges submarines will remain at sea as government shutdown holds world’s most powerful military ‘hostage’ The US military faced a variety of consequences as a result of a federal government shutdown PUBLISHED : Sunday, 21 January, 2018, 3:52pm UPDATED : Sunday, 21 January, 2018, 9:37pm Republicans, from US President Donald Trump on down, said the federal government shutdown puts America’s defences at risk, at odds with comments from the Pentagon chief that essential military efforts will continue unimpeded. Democratic leaders, looking to shape the narrative of the shutdown, also warned of the impact on the military. US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis, in a letter to troops in anticipation of a shutdown, said daily operations around the world will continue and active forces would stay in their posts. “Ships and submarines will remain at sea, our aircraft will continue to fly and our warfighters will continue to pursue terrorists throughout the Middle East, Africa and South Asia,” Mattis wrote in the memo to all defence personnel. “Steady as she goes – hold the line. I know our Nation can count on you.” Mattis even joked during an event in Washington on Friday that “the submarine that put to sea last week will still be put to sea for three months and God bless them, the lads will not have any email connectivity” so they won’t know what lawmakers are up to.
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