US Destroyers Stage Shows of Force With Missiles in Pacific
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A trio of United States destroyers staged a show of force in the Western Pacific Ocean by launching missiles to enhance their warfighting capabilities amid the Chinese naval buildup.
The U.S. Seventh Fleet will continue to work with allies and partners to deter aggression and preserve a secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific, a spokesperson for the Fleet told Newsweek.
The Chinese Defense Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Why It Matters
The U.S. has stationed warships such as aircraft carriers, destroyers, and submarines in the Western Pacific Ocean. The Seventh Fleet, the largest forward-deployed fleet of the U.S. Navy, maintains a "continuous forward presence" in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The Seventh Fleet claimed that there are 50 to 70 ships and submarines, 150 aircraft, and more than 27,000 sailors and marines within the fleet's area of operations at any given time.
China has the largest navy in the world by hull count, with over 370 vessels. The Chinese military is expanding its naval fleet, as well as its reach and presence, seeking to challenge America's naval dominance within and beyond the Western Pacific Ocean.
The United States Navy destroyer USS "Dewey" fires a Standard Missile-2 missile in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2025.
The United States Navy destroyer USS "Dewey" fires a Standard Missile-2 missile in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2025.
Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Devin Monroe/U.S. Navy
What To Know
According to photos and videos released by the U.S. Navy, destroyers USS Benfold, USS Shoup, and USS Dewey were seen firing a total of three Standard Missile-2 surface-to-air defense missiles during a tactical training exercise in the Philippine Sea from April 24 to 25.
The United States Navy destroyer USS "Shoup" fires a Standard Missile-2 missile in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2025.
The United States Navy destroyer USS "Shoup" fires a Standard Missile-2 missile in the Philippine Sea on April 24, 2025.
Ensign Sawyer Blazar/U.S. Navy
The Philippine Sea is between the First and Second Island Chains, which are part of a U.S. containment strategy that seeks to restrict the Chinese military's access to the Pacific Ocean. The U.S. and China have recently sent their aircraft carriers to the Philippine Sea.
These destroyers, which are of the Arleigh Burke-class, provide multi-mission offensive and defensive capabilities, the U.S. Navy said. The Standard Missile-2 defends against anti-ship threats out to 90 nautical miles [103 miles], according to defense contractor Raytheon.
The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said the event, which took place from April 7 to 25 and included the Japanese destroyer JS Ashigara, featured antiair, anti-submarine, anti-surface, and electronic warfare, as well as antiair missile drills and replenishment at sea.
This bilateral exercise aimed at improving the Japanese navy's tactical capabilities and the interoperability with the U.S. Navy, as well as strengthening the capability of the U.S.-Japan alliance for "effective deterrence and response," the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force said.
The employment of surface-to-air defense missiles in the exercise comes as U.S. naval ships operating near Yemen became the targets of the Iranian-backed Houthi group. The U.S. has stationed a pair of aircraft carriers in the region, which are protected by escorting destroyers.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Seventh Fleet told Newsweek: "The mission of the U.S. [Seventh] Fleet is to provide operational control and planning for its forces in the Western Pacific and Indian Oceans, while promoting regional stability and maritime security through engagements with allies and partners."
U.S. defense contractor Raytheon said: "The [Standard Missile-2] missile is a cornerstone of a ship's layered defense. It provides firepower against high-speed, highly maneuverable anti-ship missiles and aircraft and protects naval assets that give warfighters greater operational flexibility."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether USS Preble, a Japan-based U.S. destroyer, will carry out any exercises with its high-energy laser weapon to destroy fast attack craft and drones in the Western Pacific Ocean.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
San Francisco Chronicle
14 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
US and China are holding trade talks in London after Trump-Xi phone call
LONDON (AP) — High-level delegations from the United States and China are meeting in London on Monday to try and shore up a fragile truce in a trade dispute that has roiled the global economy, A Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng is due to meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer at an undisclosed location in the city. The talks are due to last at least a day. They follow negotiations in Geneva last month that brought a temporary respite in the trade war. The two countries announced May 12 they had agreed to a 90-day suspension of most of the 100%-plus tariffs they had imposed on each other in an escalating trade war that had sparked fears of recession. Since then, the U.S. and China have exchanged angry words over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, 'rare earths' that are vital to carmakers and other industries, and visas for Chinese students at American universities. President Donald Trump spoke at length with Chinese leader Xi Jinping by phone last Thursday in an attempt to put relations back on track. Trump announced on social media the next day that trade talks would be held on Monday in London. 'We are a nation that champions free trade and have always been clear that a trade war is in nobody's interests, so we welcome these talks,' the British government said in a statement.
CNBC
18 minutes ago
- CNBC
China and U.S. trade officials to hold talks in London
U.S. President Donald Trump's top trade officials are meeting their Chinese counterparts in London on Monday for talks aimed at resolving an ongoing trade dispute between the world's two largest economies. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer are representing the U.S. China's foreign ministry said on Saturday that Vice Premier He Lifeng, Beijing's lead trade negotiator, will be in the U.K. between June 8-13, and that a meeting of the "China-U.S. economic and trade consultation mechanism" would take place. The talks come after Trump last week said that he had held a lengthy phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping as both look to avert a full-blown trade war. Diplomatic efforts by both sides have ramped up after weeks of heightened trade tension and uncertainty after Trump announced sweeping import tariffs on China and other trading partners in April. Beijing retaliated, and a tit-for-tat escalation in duties ensued before both sides agreed in Geneva in May to temporarily slash duties and facilitate talks. At the time, the U.S. tariff on Chinese imports was cut from 145% to 30% , while China's levies on U.S. imports were lowered from 125% to 10%. China and the U.S. have since repeatedly accused each other of violating the Geneva agreement, with Washington saying Beijing was slow to approve the export of additional critical minerals to the U.S., while China criticized the U.S. imposing new restrictions on Chinese student visas and additional export restrictions on chips. U.S. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on Sunday said that the London talks would focus on moving forward with the Geneva agreement, noting the two sides' strategic interests in each other's markets.
CNBC
30 minutes ago
- CNBC
China extends an olive branch to Western auto giants over rare earth shortage
China appears to have offered U.S. and European auto giants something of a reprieve after industry groups warned of increasing production threats over a rare earth shortage. China's Ministry of Commerce on Saturday said it was willing to establish a so-called "green channel" for eligible export license applications to expedite the approval process to European Union firms. A Ministry of Commerce spokesperson said Wang expressed hope that the EU would take "reciprocal steps" and adopt measures to promote compliant trade of high-tech products with China. The breakthrough comes after trade talks between Chinese Commerce Minister Wang Wentao and EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic met in Paris, France last week. Beijing also granted rare earth licenses to suppliers of U.S. auto giants General Motors, Ford and Jeep-maker Stellantis, Reuters reported on Friday, citing unnamed sources. The report said China's Ministry of Commerce did not respond to a faxed request for comment. CNBC has contacted GM, Ford and Stellantis. China's Ministry of Commerce in early April imposed export restrictions on several rare earth elements and magnets widely used in the automotive, defense and energy sectors. The curbs were part of a response to U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff increase on Beijing's products. Some of the affected rare earth elements were critical components to the production of both combustion engines and electric vehicles. Maximilian Butek, an executive director and board member of the German Chamber of Commerce in China, said the weekend announcement was certainly good news for European businesses, but noted that it remains unclear whether the fast-track channel applies to large-scale firms or to sectors more broadly. "It is a huge bureaucratic monster that they've created and I'm not sure if they really can now speed up the process and give the licenses to those who need them," Butek told CNBC's "Europe Early Edition" on Monday. Europe's top automakers will welcome the diplomatic breakthrough, Butek said, while stressing the European bloc's need to improve supply chain diversification. "It all hit us quite by surprise that China is even willing to draw this card because this is a retaliation measurement towards the tariffs the U.S. implemented, right? And we, as European companies, we are now in the crossfire of this trade escalation, and this is really not where we want to be," Butek said. "It is not enough just to announce it but they have to show it," he added. China is the undisputed leader of the critical minerals supply chain, accounting for roughly 60% of the world's production of rare earth minerals and materials. U.S. officials have previously warned that this dominance poses a strategic challenge amid the pivot to more sustainable energy sources. Some analysts have compared the industry-wide squeeze on supplies of rare earth magnets to the global semiconductor crisis that disrupted automotive production during the coronavirus pandemic. Speaking to CNBC before China announced plans to expedite the approval process of rare earth exports to the EU, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA) said some of its members were at risk of production outages starting as soon as next month. The car lobby group, which represents the likes of Stellantis, Renault, Ferrari, Volkswagen and Volvo, said rare earth export licenses by China's Ministry of Commerce had been taking a "significant" amount of time to process since the April restrictions came into force. "Generally, global stocks of these magnets are quite low. And, given that China is the bulk global supplier, it has meant that, in the absence of these export licenses, those stocks have been depleting progressively since the start of April," Jonathan O'Riordan, international trade director at ACEA, told CNBC by phone. "We're gradually coming into a very, very critical moment whereby those stocks are now being exhausted, and we are potentially going to see production stoppages," he added. ACEA's warning followed a separate ominous update from the European Association of Automotive Suppliers. Last week, the group said that several auto supplier plants and production lines had already been shut down due to Beijing's recent export restrictions, with further outages expected as rare earth inventories deplete over the coming weeks. Japanese automaker Suzuki Motor, however, suspended production of its Swift car due to China's rare earth curbs, Reuters reported Thursday, citing two unnamed sources. A Suzuki Motor spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment when contacted by CNBC. Demand for rare earths and critical minerals is expected to grow exponentially in the coming years as the clean energy transition picks up pace.
