Latest news with #U.S.ArmyPacific
Newsweek
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Newsweek
US General Details China Military Plans to Defeat US in Taiwan War
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 former top U.S. defense official has warned lawmakers that a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is "no longer distant" amid rising tensions in the Taiwan Strait. Charles Flynn, retired general and former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, also laid out the steps the People's Liberation Army would need to accomplish such a feat. Why It Matters China has vowed to unify with Taiwan, which it considers its territory, though the Chinese Communist Party has never ruled there. Beijing, in recent years, ramped up military activities around Taiwan to punish the island's Beijing-skeptic ruling Democratic Progressive Party. U.S. officials believe Chinese leader Xi Jinping has instructed the People's Liberation Army to be capable of taking Taiwan by 2027, even if he does not necessarily intend to give the order that year. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and others in President Donald Trump's administration have stressed deterring China means making an invasion as costly as possible. Newsweek reached out to the Chinese Foreign Ministry via email for comment. What To Know In his Thursday remarks at a House hearing focused on the Chinese Communist Party, retired General Charles Flynn, the former commander of the U.S. Army Pacific, told lawmakers that "the threat of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan is no longer distant or theoretical." Flynn spoke at a hearing of the House Select Committee on Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party. Also testifying were Mark Montgomery, former director of operations at U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and Kurt Campbell, deputy secretary of state from 2024 to 2025. Taiwanese soldiers take part in a drill at a military base in Taitung County on January 21, 2025. Taiwanese soldiers take part in a drill at a military base in Taitung County on January 21, 2025. Chiang Ying-ying/Associated Press In a statement prepared ahead of the hearing, Flynn pointed to the enormity of the challenge China would face in mounting an amphibious assault—factors he said help offset the yawning capabilities gap between Taiwan's military and China's. To pull off a fait accompli, Flynn noted, Chinese forces would need to cross the 100-mile Taiwan Strait under heavy fire. Upon reaching Taiwanese shores, they would need to establish—and hold—beachheads. In Taiwan's cities, People's Liberation Army (PLA) troops would then face urban warfare against defenders dug into fortified positions. Finally, China would have to achieve all this before the U.S. and its allies could fully commit their forces to an intervention. Flynn emphasized that while analysts often focus on China's rapidly growing navy, air force, and rocket force, the country's ground forces ultimately determine the outcome. "If the PLA Army cannot land, cannot maneuver, cannot hold ground, and cannot subjugate the people of Taiwan, it cannot win. If we can prevent them from even attempting to cross, we deter the war altogether," he told lawmakers. What People Are Saying Former Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell, in an opening statement submitted before the hearing: "Taiwan's future is deeply intertwined with America's own—our economies, technologies, and societies are inextricably linked—making a strong and secure Taiwan a vital U.S. strategic interest. "Meeting this moment requires a whole-of-government approach. Congress, the Executive Branch, and civil society must all play an active role in deepening engagement with their Taiwan counterparts. This includes strengthening our defense and economic partnerships with the Taiwan government, supporting Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations, and expanding educational, cultural, and scientific exchanges." What Happens Next Washington maintains a decades-old policy of "strategic ambiguity" on whether it would come to Taiwan's defense, which could mean being dragged into the U.S.'s first hot war with another nuclear power.
Yahoo
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US and Philippines launch joint army drills with 5,000 soldiers
MANILA (Reuters) - Soldiers from the Philippine and the U.S. armies began three weeks of joint military exercises on Monday, with drills focused on territorial defence and commanding large-scale deployments of forces, the Philippine Army said. Around 5,000 soldiers from the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army Pacific will take part in warfighting and exchange of expertise in the first phase of this year's Exercise Salaknib. A second phase is scheduled for later this year. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to travel to Manila this week to meet Philippine leaders and forces, the Pentagon announced last week. The exercises will focus on enhancing combined operations between their army, large-scale manoeuvres, live-fire exercises and territorial defence, the Philippine Army said in a statement. The Salaknib exercises began in 2016 and are annual engagements between the two treaty allies, part of the broader Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) training drills. Security engagements between the two nations have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to the United States. Marcos has prioritised upholding the Philippines' sovereign rights in the South China Sea and has locked horns repeatedly with China over its actions in the disputed waterway, including the constant presence of Beijing's coast guard near disputed features in Manila's maritime zone. Hegseth is the first Cabinet official to visit Manila since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Lloyd Austin, who was Defense Secretary under President Joe Biden, had said America's alliance with the Philippines would transcend changes in administrations. The Philippines secured an exemption from the 90-day funding freeze that Trump ordered in January so it could receive $336 million for the modernisation of its security forces.
Reuters
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
US and Philippines launch joint army drills with 5,000 soldiers
MANILA, March 24 (Reuters) - Soldiers from the Philippine and the U.S. armies began three weeks of joint military exercises on Monday, with drills focused on territorial defence and commanding large-scale deployments of forces, the Philippine Army said. Around 5,000 soldiers from the Philippine Army and the U.S. Army Pacific will take part in warfighting and exchange of expertise in the first phase of this year's Exercise Salaknib. A second phase is scheduled for later this year. U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is expected to travel to Manila this week to meet Philippine leaders and forces, the Pentagon announced last week. The exercises will focus on enhancing combined operations between their army, large-scale manoeuvres, live-fire exercises and territorial defence, the Philippine Army said in a statement. The Salaknib exercises began in 2016 and are annual engagements between the two treaty allies, part of the broader Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder) training drills. Security engagements between the two nations have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to the United States. Marcos has prioritised upholding the Philippines' sovereign rights in the South China Sea and has locked horns repeatedly with China over its actions in the disputed waterway, including the constant presence of Beijing's coast guard near disputed features in Manila's maritime zone. Hegseth is the first Cabinet official to visit Manila since U.S. President Donald Trump took office in January. Lloyd Austin, who was Defense Secretary under President Joe Biden, had said America's alliance with the Philippines would transcend changes in administrations. The Philippines secured an exemption from the 90-day funding freeze that Trump ordered in January so it could receive $336 million for the modernisation of its security forces.
Yahoo
21-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Army will not conduct Typhon live-fire at exercises in Philippines
The U.S. Army will not conduct a live-fire operation of its Mid-Range Capability missile system, known as Typhon, during exercises in the Philippines this spring, according to the service commander in charge of U.S. Army Pacific operations. 'We are not planning to conduct live-fire in the Philippines right now,' Maj. Gen. Jeffrey VanAntwerp, deputy chief of staff of operations, plans and training at U.S. Army Pacific, told reporters in a media briefing Thursday. The news comes almost a year after the Army's 1st Multi-Domain Task Force transported a Typhon launcher to Luzon, Philippines, as part of that year's Salaknib exercise — marking the first time the new capability, deemed vital to the U.S. Army's strategy in the Indo-Pacific, had been deployed. The missile system traveled more than 8,000 miles from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, aboard a C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft on a 15-hour flight. Typhon has since remained in the country, angering China, which has criticized the move and warned it could destabilize the region. Officials have yet to fire the missile system in the Philippines. It is unclear how long Typhon will remain in the Philippines or if it will go elsewhere in the Pacific theater. In response to a question on where the system might be headed next, VanAntwerp said, 'We're making plans, but I have to defer to [the Office of the Secretary of Defense].' The Lockheed Martin-built system, consisting of a vertical launch system that uses the Navy's Raytheon-built Standard Missile-6 and Tomahawk missiles, can strike targets in the 500- to 2,000-kilometer range. The complete system has a battery operations center, four launchers, prime movers and modified trailers. The missile system is capable of sinking ships, hitting land targets at long ranges and is 'mobile and survivable,' VanAntwerp said. As part of this year's Salaknib and Balikatan military drills between the U.S. and the Philippines, the Philippine Navy plans to fire C-Star, Spike Non-Line-of-Sight and Mistral missiles. The country's military will not fire its Brahmos medium-range ramjet supersonic cruise missile, which has a higher price point per shot. Typhon's presence in the Philippines has prompted other countries in the Pacific region to inquire about the possibility of hosting the weapon system, a U.S. defense official recently told Defense News. The Army knew Typhon would have a strong deterrent effect, but didn't expect it to have an effect as great as has been observed over the past year, the official said, particularly in rattling China. The biggest challenge now is transporting the capability around the Pacific — if the desire is to rotate it in and out of countries — due to the high costs of moving equipment, the official said. Meanwhile, the Army's 3rd MDTF, headquartered in Hawaii, is slated to soon receive its Typhon battery, which the service has certified at JBLM. 'We're constantly looking for opportunities to exercise capability like that forward in theater,' Col. Michael Rose, the 3rd MDTF commander, said recently. 'We learn enormous lessons by bringing capability into the theater.' Rose said the Army anticipates the Typhon supporting Operation Pathways, a series of year-round exercises designed to strengthen cooperation with regional allies and deter China. Noah Robertson and Leilani Chavez contributed to this report.
Yahoo
28-01-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Philippine soldiers to train on US Typhon missile system
MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine soldiers will train on the U.S. military's intermediate range missile system during unilateral army drills next month as part of preparations for bigger exercises with U.S. counterparts, a military official said on Tuesday. The Typhon missile system was deployed by U.S. forces to the Philippines in April last year as part of their Balikatan or "shoulder-to-shoulder" military exercises, and has since stayed in the country, angering China which has repeatedly called for its withdrawal. Reuters reported last week the launchers were redeployed to a new location in the Philippines, which officials decline to disclose. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. Tomahawk cruise missiles used in the launchers are capable of hitting targets in both China and Russia from the Philippines. The SM-6 missiles it also carries can strike air or sea targets more than 200 km (165 miles) away. A platoon of about 20 soldiers from the army artillery regiment will train with the U.S. Army Pacific's First Multi-Domain Task Force in mid-February, Philippine army spokesperson Louie Dema-ala said. The exercise will focus on the "payload delivery system" and will highlight the system's capabilities, Dema-ala said, adding it would not include live-fire exercises. "As long as the MRC (mid-range capability) is here, we maximise its utilisation to train our personnel with these new technologies," Dema-ala told a media briefing. The Philippines last year expressed interest to acquire the launchers as part of its modernisation programme. Philippine military spokesperson Francel Margareth Padilla on Tuesday said preparations were underway for this year's annual Balikatan exercises, which are billed to be one of the biggest. Security engagements between the Philippines and treaty ally, the United States, have intensified in recent years, as both countries aim to counter what they see as an increasingly assertive China. Strong ties between the two are expected to continue under U.S. President Donald Trump, whose Secretary of State Marco Rubio last week reaffirmed Washington's "ironclad" commitment to the Philippines under their decades-old mutual defence treaty.
