Monday, May 15, 2017

So Ready for Either Natural or Chinese-Caused Disasters

American, Japanese, French, and British forces practiced amphibious warfare around Guam. Which is nice if China gets a little more grabby in the South China Sea or East China Sea.

This is good practice:

The drills around Guam and Tinian may also send a message to North Korea about the U.S. commitment to the region and the breadth of its allies. Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea spiked last month after Pyongyang launched a ballistic missile and the U.S. sent an aircraft carrier strike group to the region.

The drills, which are led by France and include the United Kingdom, will practice amphibious landings, delivering forces by helicopter and urban patrols.

Two ships from France are participating, both of which are in the middle of a four-month deployment to the Indian and Pacific oceans. Joining are U.K. helicopters and 70 U.K. troops deployed with the French amphibious assault ship FS Mistral. Parts of the exercise will feature British helicopters taking U.S. Marines ashore from a French ship.

Because in many cases, a few will do.

Although I have to say that as welcome as the French warship is, I can't imagine the French committing forces to fight China.

So I'm assuming that this is more of a sales demonstration in case states in the region with the need for amphibious warfare ships want to consider buying the Mistral-class vessel.