Air and ocean traffic has experienced “scores” of risky maneuvers in the South China Sea.
The Department of Defense has reported seeing a steady increase in risky Chinese interceptions both in the air and at sea throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The U.S. military regularly engages in “freedom of navigation” missions, sending ships and aircraft into contested areas that should be available for all nations to safely travel through. Recently these missions have been focused on the Indo-Pacific region, large swaths of which China claims as its own.
China would regularly escort U.S. aircraft and ships out of these areas, usually in a safe and professional manner. However, Indo-Pacific Command officials have reported that a growing number of these interceptions are showing aggressive behavior. One instance happened in December when a Chinese fighter pilot flew directly in front of a smaller U.S. spy plane, coming within 20 feet of the plane’s nose and forcing the plane to avoid a collision.
“These are not isolated incidents, but patterns of behavior that significantly increases the risk of accidents and constitute a grave threat to regional security,” Indo-Pacific Command officials said. “The Department of Defense is committed to opening lines of military-to-military communication with the [Peoples Republic of China] in order to responsibly manage the defense relationship between the two countries,” the officials added.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as he seeks to keep peaceful relations with China.
- For commanders in the Indo-Pacific as they work to reduce tensions with the CCP.
- For protection for U.S. military personnel as they are deployed in the region.
Sources: Reuters
