...
By Ryan Chan
China News Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
The United States is bolstering its military presence near China by deploying the Marine Corps on a specialized naval vessel serving as a sea base, extending the unit's reach across the contested island chains of the western Pacific.
Newsweek has contacted the Chinese Foreign Ministry for comment.
Why It Matters
The U.S. contains China's growing military presence in the western Pacific through the island chain strategy, based on three north-south defensive lines—the first, second and third island chains—designed to project U.S. military power, deterring and defending against potential Chinese aggression by leveraging the territories of allies and partners.
Read More on World
In addition to forward-deployed forces in Japan and South Korea, the Pentagon stations a Marine Corps air-ground task force, the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin (MRF-D), in Australia's Northern Territory—south of the three island chains—from April to October each year. The unit is tasked with responding to contingencies and crises.
What To Know
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, the MRF-D said its Marines and sailors boarded the expeditionary sea base ship USS Miguel Keith at an undisclosed location on August 27.
The vessel serves as sea-based "critical access infrastructure" supporting combat and force deployments. It is also one of two expeditionary sea base ships—the other being USS John L. Canley—homeported in Saipan, which is part of the second island chain.
...
The MRF-D said the deployment of its aviation and ground combat elements, including MV-22B Osprey tiltrotor transport aircraft, aboard the Saipan-based vessel extended operational reach and provided "flexible, combat-credible options" in the Indo-Pacific.
"By embarking aboard the USS Miguel Keith, MRF-D is now postured as a truly expeditionary force at sea, capable of responding from multiple axes across the First Island Chain to Australia," the MRF-D said in a news release on August 29.
While the Marine Corps has previously deployed forces aboard amphibious vessels—designed to project power from sea to shore—having the MRF-D on the Miguel Keith provides an afloat presence in the Indo-Pacific, the U.S. Naval Institute News reported.
Last month, USS New Orleans, an amphibious transport dock ship capable of carrying up to 800 Marines, caught fire in Okinawa, Japan, injuring several sailors. The ship is expected to be out of service for an undetermined period, according to the report.
By operating from an afloat platform, the Marine Air-Ground Task Force can rapidly maneuver between archipelagic terrain and forward locations ashore, presenting potential adversaries with a "distributed, unpredictable" force, the MRF-D said.
...
The Australia-based MRF-D recently participated in two war games across the first and second island chains: Exercise Alon 25 in the Philippines from August 15 to 29 and Exercise Super Garuda Shield 25 in Indonesia from August 25 to September 4.
What People Are Saying
The U.S. Marine Rotational Force-Darwin wrote in a news release on August 29: "MRF-D has demonstrated time and time again the ability to surge combat-credible forces across the Pacific using any and all available means, to integrate with any allied and partner force, and conduct the full continuum of military training and operations, confirming MRF-D's role as a linchpin of U.S. force posture in the Indo-Pacific."
U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Jason Armas, the commanding officer of the Marine Rotational Force-Darwin, said in a news release on August 29: "It's about proving the United States and our allies and partners are stronger together. Our presence sends a clear message: we stand ready with our allies to maneuver, sustain and fight as one force wherever and whenever called to preserve a free, open and secure Indo-Pacific region."
What Happens Next
It remains to be seen whether the U.S. Marine Corps will further strengthen its presence in the western Pacific by deploying additional forces and assets near China.
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines