Latest news with #HMASSydney
News.com.au
13-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Australia deploys warship in sanctions enforcement mission against North Korea
Australia has deployed a warship on a sanctions enforcement mission against North Korea. HMAS Sydney will patrol areas where the hermit state is suspected of illegal trading in violation of UN sanctions aimed at stopping it from acquiring nuclear weapons. 'Operation Argos supports the international community's goal of the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea,' Vice Admiral Justin Jones said in a statement. 'Australia also deploys maritime patrol aircraft to enforce Operation Argos, with a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon having deployed to Japan in April. 'Enforcing UNSC sanctions against North Korea is consistent with Australia's commitment to a rules-based global order.' It is the second time the HMAS Sydney – a Hobart-class guided missile destroyer – has taken part in Operation Argos, having supported sanctions enforcement efforts in September 2024 also. North Korea regularly tests intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are the primary delivery system for nuclear warheads. It has also sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to aid the Kremlin's war efforts in Ukraine. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has said involving his country, which perpetually faces severe food shortages, was 'just' and 'falls within the sovereign rights of our republic'.
Perth Now
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
Australia's big move on North Korea
Australia has deployed a warship on a sanctions enforcement mission against North Korea. HMAS Sydney will patrol areas where the hermit state is suspected of illegal trading in violation of UN sanctions aimed at stopping it from acquiring nuclear weapons. Australia has deployed a warship on a sanctions enforcement mission against North Korea. Australian Defence Force Credit: Supplied 'Operation Argos supports the international community's goal of the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearisation of North Korea,' Vice Admiral Justin Jones said in a statement. 'Australia also deploys maritime patrol aircraft to enforce Operation Argos, with a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon having deployed to Japan in April. 'Enforcing UNSC sanctions against North Korea is consistent with Australia's commitment to a rules-based global order.' It is the second time the HMAS Sydney – a Hobart-class guided missile destroyer – has taken part in Operation Argos, having supported sanctions enforcement efforts in September 2024 also. North Korea regularly tests intercontinental ballistic missiles, which are the primary delivery system for nuclear warheads. It has also sent more than 10,000 troops to Russia to aid the Kremlin's war efforts in Ukraine. North Korea's supreme leader Kim Jong-un has said involving his country, which perpetually faces severe food shortages, was 'just' and 'falls within the sovereign rights of our republic'. Although, the US State Department said North Korea's participation in the conflict violated sanctions. Closer to home, North Korea has faced accusations of flooding the Indo-Pacific with illicit drugs and counterfeit cash as well as trafficking animals and humans.
Perth Now
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Perth Now
China slams Aus over military exercises
China has criticised Australia for participating in joint military exercises with the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Last week, The Royal Australian Navy's destroyer HMAS Sydney participated in a guided missile frigate with the Philippine navy, involving aircrafts from both the US and the Philippines. While China's coast guard continues to clash with vessels from the Philippines over the past 18 months, several countries, including Australia have joined military exercises with the Philippines in the waters. China has criticised Australia for participating in joint military exercises with the United States and the Philippines in the South China Sea. Armed Forces of the Philippines Credit: Supplied However, China has accused Australia, the United States and the Philippines of 'creating trouble.' China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said the US was using the Philippines as a 'pawn' against China, and accusing Manila of 'flexing' military muscles which will 'only backfire'. 'The US and other countries outside the region have patched up small groupings in the South China Sea to stoke confrontation in the name of co-operation, flex military muscles in the name of freedom, and create trouble in the name of upholding order,' he told reporters in Beijing. 'They are the biggest source of risks undermining the peace and stability in the South China Sea.' While Australia hasn't responded to China's stance, the Department of Defence said the drills are a chance to enhance mutual understanding and interoperability between the countries' armed forces. China has accused Australia, the United States and the Philippines of 'creating trouble'. Credit: Supplied 'Australia and our partners share a commitment to upholding the right to freedom of navigation and overflight, other lawful uses of the sea and international airspace, and other maritime rights under international law, particularly in the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,' it said. 'By training and operating together, forces can build upon shared tactics, techniques, and procedures to enhance interoperability and readiness to respond to shared security challenges. 'This is the second MCA involving the Australian Defence Force this year, following HMAS Hobart's participation in a multilateral MCA on 6 February with Japan, the Philippines and the United States.'
Newsweek
30-04-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US Ally Sends Warship to China's Doorstep Amid Tensions
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. Australia has deployed a warship in the contested South China Sea after China conducted an unprecedented naval circumnavigation of the United States' ally in the South Pacific Ocean. Canberra said Australia has a "long history" of operating in the South China Sea, where the Chinese territorial claims overlap with those of several neighbors, including the Philippines. The Chinese military responded by vowing to "resolutely safeguard" the country's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights in the South China Sea while upholding peace and stability. Why It Matters From mid-February to early March, a Chinese naval task group, consisting of a destroyer, a frigate, and a replenishment ship, sailed around Australia outside its territorial waters, which extend 12 nautical miles [13.8 miles] from the country's coastline, in a clockwise direction. Meanwhile, on February 11, an Australian maritime patrol aircraft experienced an "unsafe and unprofessional" interaction with Chinese fighter jets over the South China Sea. Beijing asserted that the intercept was legitimate, accusing Australia of intruding into its airspace. What To Know HMAS Sydney, one of three Hobart-class air warfare destroyers in service with the Royal Australian Navy, deployed on April 3 for a three-month mission in the Indo-Pacific region, known as the Regional Presence Deployment 25-2, the Australian Defense Department said. Following the conclusion of Exercise Bersama Shield 2025, which was held in and around Malaysia from April 7 to 22, the Sydney took part in training events in the South China Sea on April 24 and 25 with the Royal New Zealand Air Force and the U.S. Navy, respectively. A New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flies over the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney on a routine surveillance flight in the South China Sea on April 24, 2025. A New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft flies over the Australian destroyer HMAS Sydney on a routine surveillance flight in the South China Sea on April 24, 2025. Australian Defense Department The first training involved a New Zealand P-8A maritime patrol aircraft, while the second one was a joint sail with the U.S. littoral combat ship USS Omaha. The U.S. Navy said the sail supported a free and open Indo-Pacific and enhanced the combined force's capabilities. On Tuesday, the Australian warship joined the U.S. and the Philippine militaries for the Multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity in the West Philippine Sea, referring to the portion of the South China Sea that lies within the Philippines' exclusive economic zone. The Armed Forces of the Philippines said this multilateral engagement, which involved air and maritime assets from the three countries, demonstrated "a strong commitment to regional security, interoperability, and cooperation in support of a rules-based international order." While the Sydney was transiting the Philippine waters, the Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted what it called "routine patrols" at an undisclosed location in the South China Sea, the Chinese military said the following day. What People Are Saying The Australian Defense Department said: "These training activities [in the South China Sea] were conducted in accordance with international law, particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea ... Deployments to the region are a demonstration of Australia's resolve to support an open, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific." The Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command said: "Recently, the Philippines has frequently violated rights at sea, provoked and caused incidents, and enlisted foreign countries to organize so-called 'joint patrols.' The Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command's naval and air forces have been on surveillance and alert throughout the whole process, and the situation is under control." What Happens Next It remains to be seen whether the Sydney would transit the Taiwan Strait located to the north of the South China Sea. China has declared that it has "sovereignty, sovereign rights, and jurisdiction" over the waterway that separates China's mainland and the self-ruled Taiwan.
