US to increase naval patrols in South China Sea: WSJ

September 2, 2017

WASHINGTON- Such naval patrols are planned to be conducted two to three times over the next few months, according to the report.

The move is expected to unnerve China, which is developing military facilities in the Spratly Islands and the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, based on its territorial claims over the islands.

Under former President Barack Obama, the United States conducted freedom of navigation operations four times in about one year and three months from October 2015.

The administration of President Donald Trump has already carried out such operations three times in about seven months since its inauguration in January this year.

During a congressional hearing in April, Adm. Harry Harris, commander of the Pacific Command, said that offensive and coercive activities by China in the South China Sea should be criticized. Harris claimed that it is possible for the United States to promote freedom of navigation operations while cooperating with China over North Korean and other issues.

According to the WSJ report, the US Department of Defense for the first time has set a schedule of naval patrols in the South China Sea in an attempt to create a more consistent posture to counter China's maritime claims.

This is aimed at differentiating the current government from the Obama administration, under which such naval patrols were canceled or postponed based on other political factors, according to the report.

US officials described the new plan as a more predetermined way of conducting such patrols than in the past, though not immutable, it said.

In a new facet, some freedom of navigation patrols may be multi-domain patrols, using not only US Navy warships but US military aircraft as well, according to the report.

When the USS John S. McCain in August patrolled around an artificial island built by China in the Spratly Islands, two P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft flew above the Aegis destroyer, the report said.

The report quoted US officials as saying that more navigation patrols using warships likely now will include aircraft overhead.

According to the report, Pentagon officials were often frustrated with the process of planning and conducting navigation patrols under the Obama administration.

Officials were quoted as saying that such patrol plans would be forwarded from the Pacific Command to the Pentagon and then vetted by the Department of State and the White House National Security Council before being approved or disapproved depending on the White House's own set of political priorities with the Chinese.

The new plan is in keeping with the Trump administration's approach to military operations, which relies on giving commanders leeway to determine the US posture, the report said. Jiji Press