Movement of U.S. and Australian submarines as Chinese flotilla approaches Australian shores
Unusual and mysterious activity from Chinese naval vessels near Australia has also forced an air warfare destroyer into action.
Unusual military activity by Chinese warships near Australia has forced U.S. and Australian submarines, as well as an air warfare destroyer, into action.
Chinese naval vessels' mysterious activity
A flotilla of three Chinese naval vessels has been making its way westward along the southern coast of Australia, days after the Asian country’s navy conducted live fire exercises in the seas between Australia and New Zealand with little warning, forcing a number of flights to be diverted.
Now, both Australia and the United States are on red alert as they track China’s mysterious naval activity.
The USS Minnesota nuclear-powered submarine arrived at HMAS Stirling, a naval base just off Australia’s western coast, last Wednesday for the first of two planned US visits to Perth.
The U.S. Navy had previously revealed the trip was part of a training program for naval officers preparing to take command of a submarine, and was also related to Australia establishing its own nuclear-powered submarine force.
U.S. and Australian submarines move out to sea
On Monday, images posted on social media appeared to show U.S. and Australian submarines, and the HMAS Hobart air warfare destroyer, all of which had been moored at HMAS Stirling, sailing out to sea in an apparent show of force.
Roger Cook, the premier of Western Australia, has previously spoken about the need for his country to strengthen their naval presence on the west coast amid the modern world’s “geopolitical fluidity”.
“Western Australia is the home to some of our most important and strategic industries,” Cook explained. “So I was delighted, when the Defence Strategic Review was undertaken, that they identified the need to continue to bolster our defence capabilities and infrastructure in the west and in particular the northwest.”
“It’s about matching our defence capabilities with the perceived and predicted potential threats”.
Why are there Chinese warships off the coast of Australia?
Michael Shoebridge, a former Australian defense and security official and director of the Strategic Analysis Australia think tank, believes China’s activity may be as a result of Australia’s growing military ties with Asian countries such as Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, all of which have territorial disputes with China.
An alternative theory is that the Chinese are looking to demonstrate the increasing size of its navy in a region where it is keen to have a greater presence.
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