NATO is reinforcing its military influence in the Western Pacific by deploying more warships, a move that undoubtedly concerns the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The latest addition is the Italian aircraft carrier “Cavour,” which marks Italy’s first deployment of its only carrier capable of launching and recovering F-35 fighter jets to the Pacific. The “Cavour” and an Italian frigate recently held joint military exercises near Guam with the U.S. aircraft carrier “USS Abraham Lincoln.” F-35 stealth fighters and AV-8B Harrier jets took off from the “Cavour” to practice air target intercepts.
Vice Admiral Giancarlo Ciappina, commander of the “Cavour” carrier strike group, said, “This demonstrates first and foremost our capability to project power anywhere.”
The UK’s HMS Prince of Wales carrier and its strike group are set to arrive in the Pacific next year. France has announced plans to dispatch the Charles de Gaulle carrier strike group to the region. A strike group typically consists of small naval battle groups built around a carrier, usually including destroyers, cruisers, and other vessels, as well as fighter jets and other military aircraft.
Other NATO member countries such as Germany and the Netherlands also plan to send warships to the Pacific.
In a report on Friday, Bloomberg analyzed that the arrival of European navies is to prepare to reinforce the U.S. military in times of crisis, such as providing additional platforms for U.S. aircraft, increasing submarine hunting capabilities, and participating in supply distribution missions.
NATO forces use standardized equipment and tactics for close cooperation—referred to in military terms as “interoperability.” NATO senior officials stated that in the Pacific region, the strategic goal is to further enhance the ability to freely exchange naval strike groups with the United States or other allied navies.
NATO has remained vigilant towards the CCP, with the alliance explicitly stating this year that Beijing is an accomplice to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The CCP has rejected these accusations. In 2022, NATO for the first time defined China as a challenger to NATO’s “interests, security, and values.”
Apart from NATO, the U.S.’ Indo-Pacific allies are also helping maintain security and free trade in the region, especially Japan. Japan boasts over 100 warships and regularly patrols with the U.S. Navy. Japan has also established close ties with South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand.
Furthermore, in early April, Japan and the Philippines’ leaders held their first trilateral summit with President Biden at the White House, announcing enhanced defense cooperation, including joint military training and exercises among the three countries and other partners.
In April, Admiral Samuel Paparo, commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, stated in an interview with The New York Times that the expanding network of partnerships and security agreements spanning thousands of miles across the Asia-Pacific region is a direct response to China’s “revanchist, revisionist, and expansionist agenda” in the area, which directly threatens neighboring countries.
He said, “I can confirm that the United States, alongside our allies and partners, is playing a stronger hand, and we will prevail in any conflict that unfolds in the Western Pacific.”