US, Philippine navies conduct joint patrols; so does Chinese navy

By Thai Newsroom Reporters

A UNITED STATES CARRIER Strike Group and the Philippine navy are conducting joint maritime patrols in the South China Sea whilst the Chinese navy is doing exactly the same in a separate, simultaneous scenario in the tension-filled region, an informed source said today (Jan.4).

The US Strike Group led by an aircraft carrier is today joining the Philippine navy in the maritime patrols which started yesterday in the island republic’s exclusive economic zone as part of the South China Sea whilst the Chinese navy is reportedly conducting its own patrols roughly on the same timeline in the nearby international waters.

The current joint patrols of the US and Philippine navies apparently occurred one and a half weeks after the US Strike Group One’s aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) and sister ships including cruiser USS Princeton (CG-59) and destroyers USS Kidd (DDG-100) and USS Sterett (DDG-104) had departed Singapore after a one-week port visit.

China and the Philippines have engaged in sustained provocations and standoffs in the South China Sea since both countries make mutually contradictory claims of territorial integrity over a number of submerged reefs and atolls in Spratly Islands including Scarborough Shoal, Second Thomas Shoal and Fiery Cross where military installations and personnel have already been built and stationed.

The US and Philippine navies had conducted their last joint maritime patrols in November of 2022 in the highly vulnerable waters of the Indo-Pacific Region.

In another development, Taiwan will likely not procure squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 Fighting Falcon fighters within this year or next due to delays in manufacturing and equipment-fitting process.

The first batch of fourth-generation F-16 Block 70/72 jets from the US manufacturing firm would not be delivered until 2026 to Taiwan which has placed purchase orders for a total of 66 F-16s.

Taiwan, a Far East island republic among six countries making mutually contradictory claims of territorial integrity over reefs and atolls in Spratly Island is another staunch treaty ally of the US besides the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Thailand is anticipated sooner or later to place purchase orders for squadrons of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70/72 fighters to replace General Dynamics F-16A and F-16ADF jets scheduled to be decommissioned in the next four years.

The Thai air force’s ageing F-16s are currently deployed at Wing 1 in Nakhon Ratchasima and Wing 4 in Nakhon Sawan.

Nevertheless, chances for Thailand to procure a mini-squadron of fifth-generation Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters would be less than 50% today, given the alleged phenomenon in which former coup juntas had purposely leaned toward China over the last several years despite Thailand’s invariably being another ally of the US, according to former deputy National Security Council chief Pongsakorn Rodchombhu.

Washington has hardly viewed Bangkok’s alleged two-faced foreign policy as very reliable with respect to regional security and interoperability schemes, he said.

CAPTIONS:

Top: A Chinese Coast Guard vessel on the left blocks a chartered supply boat on a mission to deliver provisions to a grounded Philippine Navy vessel at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea in November 2023. Photo: AFP/Jam Sta Rosa and published by CNA

Below: A Philippine Navy ship, BRP Jose Rizal (FF150), right, and the USS Gabrielle Giffords during a tactical exercise between the Philippines and the United States in the South China Sea in November 2023. Photo: AP and published by Fox News

Front Page: A handout photo provided by the Philippine Coast Guard shows suspected Chinese militia ships staying near the Philippine-claimed reef called Whitsun, locally known as Julian Felipe reef, at the disputed South China Sea in November, 2023. Photo: AP and published by Taipei Times