China is causing unrest in neighboring countries, the USA and Australia with its increased naval fleet. Russia's plans should also give food for thought.
Sydney – 30 new warships in the last twelve months – China is properly upgrading its navy. By 2030 alone, the fleet is expected to increase from the current 370 to 435. This comes from that Annual report of the US Department of Defense. This is particularly a cause for concern for China's neighboring countries as well as for the USA and its ally Australia.
But it's not just China's dominance in the Indo-Pacific that is a concern, either Vladimir Putin's Fleet is a headache. A research project shows that Russia commissioned eight new war and support ships between 2022 and October 2023. This also includes conventional and nuclear-powered submarines.
Research project shows: Russia orders new warships
Russia's fleet has been home to two new nuclear submarines since the beginning of December. Alexey Muraviev, professor of national security and strategic studies at Australia's Curtin University, proves this in his research work. In addition to China's fleet in the Indo-Pacific, Russia's growing fleet is also a growing concern, as Muraviev writes in an accompanying article.
Russia's fleet may not be as powerful as China's, but the researcher points out that the Russian navy has to meet the needs of four war fleets, this shows Editorial network Germany (RND). These are located in the Black Sea, in the Baltic Sea and in the Arctic and Pacific Oceans. Russia also occupies a flotilla in the Caspian Sea.
Muraviev wrote in his article: “Between the beginning of 2022 and October 2023, the Pacific Fleet conducted eight naval exercises at a strategic level, in addition to numerous smaller activities.” This makes another important point clear for the researcher: The Ukraine war have no impact on the modernization of the Russian Pacific Fleet.
Russia strengthens important maritime coalition in Asia: “Tour signals expansion of Russia’s influence”
The research by the researcher from Australia's Curtin University also shows that Putin sent his Pacific Fleet on a tour to Southeast and South Asia. The reason: strengthening the most important maritime coalition for Russia. “The tour signals an expansion of Russia’s influence in the region,” the strategist writes in his research report.
The Russian fleet carried out exercises with India and Myanmar. The plan included a visit to Bangladesh and stops in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The However, China remains the most important naval partner for the Kremlin chief. This is also shown by the research results of the strategist Muraviev. Between 2005 and 2023 alone, the two forces have participated in at least 19 bilateral and trilateral exercises and three joint patrols. The most recent joint operation by China and Russia is said to have only taken place in the summer of 2023.
Naval cooperation between China and Russia poses a threat to the Aukus pact
Between Australia, the USA and Great Britain exists an agreement, the Aukus Pact, in which Australia would receive up to eight nuclear-powered submarines from its allies in an emergency. The naval cooperation of Russia and China represents a huge risk factor here, because Muraviev assumes in his research that the two armed forces would counteract this pact.
The researcher also suspects that Russia's Pacific Fleet could have at least 45 warships by 2032. Muraviev sees this as a major challenge for Australia: “This clearly shows that in the event of an outbreak of war in the Pacific, the Russian Pacific Fleet could pose a huge challenge to the Australian and allied naval fleets in the western and northwestern Pacific as well as in the Arctic.”
Warning also from Berlin: Arms spending in regions in the Indo-Pacific has increased
There are also warnings from Federal Ministry of Defense from Berlin. While Russian naval activities in the capital have so far gone unnoticed, the ministry has recorded that several regions in the Indo-Pacific are arming themselves. From 2010 to 2019, the countries' defense spending in this area increased by 50 percent. China even upgraded its navy by 80 percent.
The Ministry of Defense in Berlin is also concerned about China's military spending: While this was around $285.9 billion in 2021, China already spent around $292 billion on its armed forces in 2022. (Denise Dörries)
#Putin #arming #warships #IndoPacific
