US and Australian Navy Warships Conduct Drills in South China Sea

Beijing disputes the status of the South China Sea as international waters, claiming the important waterway as its sovereign waters.

Last week, the USS Dewey, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and the HMAS Ballarat, an Anzac-class frigate, sailed and trained in the South China Sea.

Naval Drills

The two warships conducted formation sailing exercises, maritime communications training, and simulated fires exercises. Both warships are equipped to conduct anti-surface, air defense, and anti-submarine operations.

“It was a fantastic opportunity to work alongside Ballarat and our Australian allies,” US Navy commander Ivan Dobrev, the commanding officer of USS Dewey, said in a press release. “Deepening our interoperability with our allies and partners here in the Indo-Pacific is the key to enhancing our collective deterrence against any adversary threatening peace and stability in the region.” 

The location of the naval drills made them all the more important. Beijing disputes the status of the South China Sea as international waters, claiming the important waterway as its sovereign waters.

“This activity was a component of a planned routine deployment for Ballarat to the region,” Royal Australian Navy commander Dean Uren, the commanding officer of HMAS Ballarat, stated. “This activity is an important demonstration of the resolve that Australia has to supporting [sic] an open, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific, where international law is respected.” The Australian Defence Force routinely operates in the region and has done so for decades. 

Besides the important aspect of interoperability training, such exercises highlight a key assumption of US foreign and military policy in the Indo-Pacific: alliances and partnerships. If the intense competition between the United States and China were to come to blows sometime in the future, the US military would need the assistance of its allies and partners in the region. Countries like Australia, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand, Singapore, and the Philippines are important to US strategy. With these allies and partners playing a supporting role, the US military would be in a better position to counter China’s larger navy.

Let’s Talk About Numbers

Over the past two decades, there has been a shift in the naval balance of power in the Indo-Pacific. Whereas in the early 2000s, the US Navy enjoyed a numerical superiority over its Chinese competitor, the Chinese Navy today has left the US Navy behind. Currently, Beijing can field approximately 400 warships to the Navy’s 295. Some estimates put the number of warships and support vessels that China would be able to muster in a conflict with the United States at over 700.

Moreover, the Chinese Navy has the added advantage of force concentration. The US Navy is a global power tasked with policing waters, protecting international trade, working with allies, and projecting force around the globe. Its fleet of almost 300 warships has many demands to meet. Conversely, as a regional power and an aspiring global one, China has the luxury of focusing its forces, at least for the time being, in the Indo-Pacific. Thus, the actual numerical discrepancy between the two navies would be even higher in favor of China in a potential future conflict in the Indo-Pacific area of operations.

To be sure, numbers are not everything. The US Navy currently enjoys a superiority in quality of warships, experience of crews, and types of warships. For example, the Navy has 11 supercarriers to China’s three (untested) aircraft carriers. The Navy also has combat-proven stealth fighter jets (the F-35B/C Lightning II) in its fleet. Further, the United States has the largest and most advanced submarine force in the world.

Numbers matter, but they are not the final aspect that would decide a conflict between the United States and China.

About the Author: Stavros Atlamazoglou    

Stavros Atlamazoglou is a seasoned defense journalist specializing in special operations and a Hellenic Army veteran (national service with the 575th Marine Battalion and Army HQ). He holds a BA from the Johns Hopkins University and an MA from the Johns Hopkins’ School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). His work has been featured in Business Insider, Sandboxx, and SOFREP.   

Image: Wikimedia Commons.