The US Coast Guard vessel “USCGC Stratton” has arrived at the South Korean Busan Naval Base in response to the increasing maritime provocations by China in the Western Pacific. In the coming days, it will engage in joint exercises with Japan and South Korea to enhance their coordinated response. According to the South Korean Coast Guard, this will be the first time that the three countries will share real-time information and conduct joint tests of emergency mechanisms, essentially simulating a “real combat exercise.”
The vessel had actually been deployed in the Western Pacific since early May as reported by the “Weekly News” on May 30th. Just two weeks ago, it made a stop in the Philippines to conduct joint maritime exercises with the Filipino forces. The US not only mobilized the “USCGC Stratton” but also dispatched a P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The Philippines deployed patrol ships, patrol boats, helicopters, and fighter jets in their Exclusive Economic Zone for the maritime-air joint training.
After the exercises, the “USCGC Stratton” was assigned to the US Seventh Fleet Destroyer Squadron 15 for a multi-month Indo-Pacific patrol mission with the goal of enhancing maritime law enforcement and cooperation capabilities in the “gray zone conflicts.”
Next, the “USCGC Stratton” will head to Japan to participate in another trilateral exercise. This time, the joint exercise will involve the US, Japan, and the Philippines, continuing to practice maritime security missions.
The Pacific Command also stated to the “Weekly News” that this mission will strengthen maritime rule of law, promote sovereignty maintenance, intelligence sharing, and multilateral cooperation.
The “USCGC Stratton” is no stranger to the Pacific region, this being its third deployment to the Western Pacific. It belongs to the “Legend-class” National Security Cutter, based in Alameda, California, with a displacement of 4600 tons, a speed of up to 28 knots, a range exceeding 12,000 nautical miles, a crew of 170, and is a vital asset for the US in executing maritime missions abroad.
Ultimately, these actions are in response to China’s continuous activities in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea over the past few years, including creating barriers, declaring no-sail zones, increasing military presence, and flexing muscles around the Korean Peninsula, raising concerns among neighboring countries.
So, what is your take on this? Will the enhanced joint maritime exercises between the US, Japan, and South Korea be able to effectively counter China’s maritime expansion? We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
– “News Spotlight” Production Team