TYB
The five-domains update
21 Oct 2020|Tracy Beattie, Hal Crichton-Standish, Daria Impiombato, Alexandra Pascoe and Albert Zhang
Sea state
Australia has been invited to join the Malabar naval exercise with America, India and Japan. This year will be the first since 2007 that Australia has participated in the drills, having previously withdrawn due to concerns over China, which views the exercises as part of a broader attempt to âcontainâ it. Malabar was first established in 1992 between the US and India, and grew to formally include Japan in 2008. Indiaâs invitation to Australia suggests a trend towards greater military collaboration among the countries of the âQuadâ.
Japan has launched the first of a new type of submarine meant to succeed its Soryu-class vessels. The Taigei is a diesel-electric sub powered by lithium-ion batteries, a power source Japan is the only country to use in operational submarines. When commissioned in 2022, the Taigei will bring Japanâs submarine fleet to 22, a goal it set in 2010 when Chinaâs navy was becoming increasingly modernised and assertive. Now China has six nuclear-powered and 50 conventionally powered submarines.
Flight path
A recent video appears to show that China is testing an air-launched hypersonic glide weapon from an H-6N bomber. The weapon closely resembles the ground-launched DF-17 hypersonic missile, which is capable of countering adversary missile defences. The bomber aircraft is normally used for carrying anything from high-speed drones to anti-ship ballistic missiles. Several defence experts have asserted that China has been extensively testing hypersonic technology since 2014.
Australiaâs F-35 capability is on track to be fully operational as joint training between the US Air Force and the Royal Australian Air Force continues at Luke Air Force Base in Arizona. There are currently five RAAF F-35s at Luke, where the USAF squadron commander says âthe platform, common tactics and the objective of training the worldâs most capable fighter pilotsâ have allowed for successful joint training. Australia has ordered 72 F-35s, with the 30th jet set to be in the country by the end of the year and the last aircraft to be delivered by 2024.
Rapid fire
The US Army has begun a survey of women soldiers that will inform the acquisition of sports bras better suited for field operations. A growing number of women are assuming combat roles across the world, increasing the need for equipment that addresses their needs. Since opening all ground combat roles to women in 2015, the US military has been developing and distributing equipment including helmets that accommodate hair buns, bomb suits for people of smaller stature and more functional urinating devices.
Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly visited a military base of the Peopleâs Liberation Army Marine Corps in the south of the country and told troops to âput all [their] minds and energy on preparing for warâ. This prompted speculation about the significance and real-world implications of such statements. Tensions between China and the US are growing as US President Donald Trump seeks to strengthen military ties with Taiwan and Beijing ramps up rhetoric about an invasion of the island.
Final frontier
Australia and seven other nations have signed the Artemis Accords, which were drafted by NASA and set out principles for peaceful exploration of the moon. Some countries see it as the US imposing its own set of rules, but the agreementâs provisions are largely uncontroversial. The Outer Space Treaty forbids ownership of extraterritorial bodies, but the accords do allow nations to own and use moon resources, something which has raised objections from researchers.
The US militaryâs transportion command says itâs working with SpaceX and XArc to develop new space technology that can transport cargo âthe equivalent of a C-17 payload anywhere on the globe in less than an hourâ. Such a system would be a major feat, and a proof of principle might be conducted as early as next year. Current point-to-point space deliveries are limited by weight and volume constraints, meaning itâs likely to be decades before the technology, if it works, is cost-effective.
More at Link:
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-five-domains-update-120/
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Wired watchtower
Chinaâs government has passed a law allowing the banning of the export of âstrategic materials and advanced technology to specific foreign companiesâ. It relates to goods, services and technologies with both civilian and military uses, and includes related data and algorithms. An announcement stated the law was enacted to safeguard ânational security and interestsâ. It did not refer to any target countries, but the law has been seen as a response to US measures to restrict Chinese companiesâ access to semiconductor technology.
Facebook and Instagram have rejected 2.2 million ads and 120,000 posts on their platforms that sought to âobstruct votingâ in the US election. Warnings were also issued for posts featuring false information. Social media platforms have come under increased scrutiny over their efforts to counter voter manipulation and dis- and misinformation. Measures taken by the companies include fact-checking partnerships with media outlets and using artificial intelligence to find and delete fake accounts.
https://www.aspistrategist.org.au/the-five-domains-update-120/
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WW3 fears explode as US, India, Japan and Australia unite
against China in military drills
FEARS of open conflict in east Asia have surged after Australia agreed joined the US, Japan and India to join naval drills that experts claim are aimed at China.
By JAMES BICKERTON
PUBLISHED: 02:05, Wed, Oct 21, 2020 | UPDATED: 02:05, Wed, Oct 21, 2020
Relations between Beijing and a number of its neighbours have sharply deteriorated in recent months due to disputes over territory and trade In 2017 the Quad security alliance, made-up of the US, India, Japan and Australia was reformed.
On Monday India invited Australia to its upcoming Malabar naval exercises that will also feature forces from the US and Japan.
Previously India, which has historically been unaligned, rejected Australian involvement for fear of offending Beijing.
However relations between New Delhi and China have dramatically worsened this year with a number of armed clashes along their disputed border.
The annual Malabar naval exercise began in 1992 between the United States and India, with Japan becoming a permanent participant in 2015.
MORE:
https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1350257/WW3-news-China-US-America-India-Japan-Australia-military-drills-navy-south-china-sea-ont
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India will be most consequential partner for US in Indo-Pacific
this century: Mark Esper
Updated : October 21, 2020 09:39 AM IST
India will be the most consequential partner for the US in the Indo-Pacific this century, US Defence Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday ahead of the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue between the two countries next week.
Esper on Tuesday told a Washington audience that he and the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo would be travelling to New Delhi next week for the 2+2 Ministerial with their respective Indian counterparts Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar.
The exact dates of the ministerial have not been officially announced yet. âSecretary Pompeo and I will be there next week. Itâs our second 2+2 with the Indians, the third ever for the United States and India. And itâs very important. India will well be the most consequential partner for us, I think, in the Indo Pacific for sure in this century,â Esper said in response to a question during a webinar organized by The Atlantic Council think-tank.
To another query, he said, âIndia is the worldâs largest democracy, a very capable country, very talented people. And they face of every day with the Chinese aggression in the Himalayas specifically along that Line of Actual Control.â âSo, like so many other countries in that region, Iâve spoken with them (Indians). Iâve travelled from Mongolia all the way down south to New Zealand and Australia, from as far as Thailand to Palau in the Pacific island countries. Theyâll recognize what China is doing,â he said, adding that in some cases, itâs very overt, and in many more cases itâs very opaque, what theyâre doing. âBut they are putting political pressure, diplomatic pressure, and in some cases like India, military pressure on countries to bend to their way. We just canât put up with that. We need all countries to follow those international rules-based order, to follow the norms that have served us so well,â Esper said.
The issue is not about Chinaâs rise, itâs all about how they rise, said the Defense Secretary. âThatâs what we talk about in all these forums. Last week we had a Five Eyes Forum, right, the US, New Zealand, UK, Canada, and UK. Anyways, we have the Five Eyes Forum and we talked about the challenges in the Indo-Pacific and how do we cooperate together, how do we confront these challenges to sovereignty, to the international rules-based order, to freedom of navigation, he said.
The Indo-Pacific is a biogeographic region, comprising the Indian Ocean and the western and central Pacific Ocean, including the South China Sea. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, though Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam claim parts of it. âSo, you see a lot more closer collaboration come out, and this will be reflected in our meetings next week in New Delhi as well when we travel there,â Esper said, adding that there are a number of things that the US has been discussing with the Indians for some time.
âWeâve made good progress on a number of them, but weâll release information on that when itâs appropriate,â Esper said. Formed in 2018, the 2+2 Ministerial Dialogue meetings reflect the two countryâs ever increasing convergence on the strategic issues.
âLast year, we conducted our first-ever tri-service military exercise, Tiger Triumph, with India. And in July, the USS Nimitz conducted a combined exercise with the Indian Navy as it transited the Indian Ocean. We also held our first-ever US-India defense cyber dialogue in September as we expand our collaboration into new domains. Together, these efforts will strengthen what may become one of the most consequential partnerships of the 21st century,â Esper said.
https://www.cnbctv18.com/politics/india-will-be-most-consequential-partner-for-us-in-indo-pacific-this-century-mark-esper-7255831.htm