The U.S. Navy began anti-submarine warfare (ASW) exercises in Hawaii and Guam on Tuesday. Meanwhile, a Chinese and a Russian surveillance ship have been conducting separate sails around Japan’s southwest islands and Australia has now tasked three frigates to shadow a People’s Liberation Army Navy task group that has been operating around Australia since mid-February.
On Tuesday, U.S. Navy submarines, ships and aircraft began exercise Black Widow 2025 off Hawaii, reads a Navy release. The drill combines submarines, surface ships and aircraft into a team tasked to track and engage a simulated adversary submarine.
Commander, Task Force (CTF) 34 will serve as the unit commander during Black Widow 2025, responsible for exercising command and control over exercise units.
“The Black Widow exercise series is our annual pinnacle event to deliver high-end integrated theater undersea warfare tactical development and combat readiness. It’s incredibly valuable to work across domains to deliver cutting edge capabilities that make us more capable and more lethal,” said Rear Adm. Rick Seif, commander of the Pacific Submarine Force and CTF 34, in the release.
Commander, Destroyer Squadron (DESRON) 23 will embark aboard destroyer USS Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG-121). Other units participating in the exercise are destroyers USS Michael Murphy (DDG-112), fast-attack submarines USS Mississippi (SSN-782) and USS Montana (SSN-794), P-8A Poseidon aircraft from Patrol Squadron (VP) 4, and an MH-60R Sea Hawk from Helicopter Maritime Strike Squadron (HSM) 37, embarked aboard Michael Murphy, according to the release.
In Guam two U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft operating under CTF 72, one from VP-16 and one from VP-47, joined Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) communities from Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), Indian Navy (IN), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force and Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) for the Sea Dragon 25 exercise according to a navy release on Tuesday.
The exercise, which has been held annually since 2019, will see pilots and aircrew from the participating countries coordinate to build plans and discuss tactics incorporating their respective capabilities and equipment for ASW with the exercise culminating in a final battle problem in the vicinity of Guam, during which participants will track a live U.S. Navy submarine.
The “War Eagles” of VP-16, part of CTF 72, are stationed in Jacksonville, Florida, and are currently forward-deployed to Misawa Air Base in Misawa, Japan. The “Golden Swordsmen” of VP 47, also a part of CTF 72, are stationed in Whidbey Island, Washington, and are currently forward-deployed to Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. While deployed, both squadrons will conduct maritime patrol and reconnaissance and theater outreach operations within the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations, according to the release.
A JMSDF release stated that a single P-1 Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) will participate in the exercise while a ROKN release stated that it is participating with a P-3 Orion MPA. Both the RAAF and Indian Navy have not disclosed details of their participation, but the RAAF is likely to send a P-8A Poseidon MPA while the Indian Navy will deploy a P-8I Poseidon MPA.
Meanwhile, Chinese and Russian surveillance ships have been operating around Japan’s southwest islands according to Japan Joint Staff Office (JSO) releases this week. On Monday the JSO issued a release stating that on Feb. 28 at 1 p.m, PLAN Dongdiao class surveillance ship Tianshuxing (795)was sighted sailing west in an area 87 miles northeast of Cape Sata, which lies on the southern tip of the Ōsumi Peninsula of the main island of Kyushu and subsequently sailed west through the Osumi Strait to enter the east China Sea on the same day.
The release added that on Monday, Tianshuxing sailed southeast through the waters between Miyako Island and Okinawa to enter the Philippine Sea. JMSDF destroyer JS Harusame (DD-102) and JMSDF P-3C Orion MPA of Fleet Air Wing based at Naha Air Base, Okinawa, shadowed the PLAN surveillance ship, according to the release.
A Wednesday JSO release stated that on Tuesday at 11 a.m., Russian Navy surveillance ship Kareliya (535) was sighted sailing west in an area 49 miles southwest of Okinawa and subsequently sailed within the contiguous zone southwest of Okinawa to west of Iotourishima Island. The contiguous zone is a band of water which begins at the 12 nautical mile (nm) territorial sea limit to up to 24nm from a country’s baseline and countries are given limited jurisdiction in the contiguous zone to enforce laws relating to customs, fiscal, immigration or sanitary matters.
Kareliya left the contiguous zone in an area west of Iotourishima Island and sailed into the East China Sea. A JMSDF P-3C Orion from Fleet Air Wing 5 carried out surveillance on the Russian ship. The release noted that Kareliya earlier sailed southwest through the Tsushima Strait on Feb. 16-17, sailed through the contiguous zone from north of Iotourishima to southeast of Okinawa on Feb. 19 and then left the contiguous zone southeast of Okinawa on Feb. 20.
On Wednesday, Australian Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles in a doorstop interview stated that three Royal Australian Navy (RAN) frigates, namely HMAS Warramunga (FFH152), HMAS Stuart (FFH153), and HMAS Toowoomba (FFH156) were shadowing the PLAN task group comprising of cruiser CNS Zunyi (107), frigate CNS Hengyang (568) and fleet oiler CNS Weishanhu (887), “They’ll continue to be on the task of surveilling this task group whilst it’s in the vicinity of Australia. We’ve also had over flights of P-8 aircraft to keep a close eye on what this task force is doing.”, said Marles, according to a transcript.
Marles stressed that the PLAN task group had been complying with international law in its movements but Australia had the right under international law, to carry out surveillance to monitor what the PLAN task group was doing, “We will continue to stay with them so long as they are within the vicinity of Australia, so that we can completely understand what it is they were trying to achieve with this mission.”, said Marles.
Australia’s Department of Defence’s running update on the PLAN task group stated on Thursday that the PLAN task group was operating 630 nautical miles north west of Perth, Western Australia.
