By Katsumi Takahashi and Masakazu Matsushita
Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun)
The ground, maritime and air branches of the Self-Defense Forces will
work more closely together to defend the Nansei Islands with a focus on
standing up to China’s aim to expand its military presence in the
Pacific, according to the new National Defense Program Guidelines and
the midterm defense buildup program approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday.
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| Nansei Island Chain |
Can the SDF cope with China’s military expansion? The Yomiuri Shimbun
has examined deployment and development strategies for the SDF based on
the two documents.
The latest guidelines and defense buildup plan include many measures to bolster defense of the Nansei Islands, which extend from the southern tip of Kyushu to the Okinawa and Sakishima island chains. The steps are based on the idea of a “dynamic joint defense force,” in which Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces operations will be more closely integrated.
To enhance warning and surveillance capabilities from the air, a squadron of E-2C early-warning aircraft will be deployed at the ASDF’s Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. The squadron will monitor Chinese aircraft in distant locations that cannot currently be detected by ground radar.
U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drones will be introduced within five years. The drones—a trump card in warning and surveillance operations—can identify a target as far away as inland China, flying at an altitude of more than 18,000 meters.
At the Naha base, an additional F-15 fighter jet squadron comprising about 20 planes will be deployed. The two squadrons, which scramble jets in response to airspace violations in the region, are expected to greatly improve the ASDF’s deterrence capability.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Self-Defense Force will raise its number of destroyers in operation from 47 to 54. Among the new vessels, two small 3,000-ton class destroyers will be built to prepare for an expected escalation of intrusions by Chinese government vessels into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Despite the increased warning and surveillance activities in the air and at sea, questions remain about what the government will do if a foreign force overruns and occupies a remote island.
In such a case, an amphibious rapid deployment brigade to be newly instituted for recapturing seized islands will be mobilized.
Under the assumed scenario, the ASDF and MSDF would deploy their units to secure an advantageous position and take control of the situation. MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, 17 of which are scheduled to be introduced, and 52 amphibious vehicles scheduled to be deployed would then land on the island.
Still, it is unclear whether Japanese forces will be able to counter China’s expansion in the years ahead, as China has rapidly expanded its military capabilities.
China announced a massive defense budget of ¥11.11 trillion for 2013, more than double Japan’s ¥4.68 trillion. Moreover, China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was commissioned in September 2012, entered the South China Sea for the first time last month. Beijing is now mass-manufacturing a new type of destroyer to defend the carrier.
As part of its air force buildup, China is accelerating development of a next-generation advanced stealth fighter jet. Regarding China’s intelligence gathering and reconnaissance abilities, an MSDF senior officer said, “Although the Chinese military is inferior to the U.S. military or SDF at the moment, who knows what it will be like in 10 years?”
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera underscored the government’s determination to counter China with its new defense policy at a press conference Tuesday. “Given the tense situation in the East China Sea, the security environment has changed, so that Japan has to face [China] squarely on its own to resolve it,” he said.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000880713
The latest guidelines and defense buildup plan include many measures to bolster defense of the Nansei Islands, which extend from the southern tip of Kyushu to the Okinawa and Sakishima island chains. The steps are based on the idea of a “dynamic joint defense force,” in which Ground, Maritime and Air Self-Defense Forces operations will be more closely integrated.
To enhance warning and surveillance capabilities from the air, a squadron of E-2C early-warning aircraft will be deployed at the ASDF’s Naha Air Base in Okinawa Prefecture. The squadron will monitor Chinese aircraft in distant locations that cannot currently be detected by ground radar.
U.S.-made Global Hawk surveillance drones will be introduced within five years. The drones—a trump card in warning and surveillance operations—can identify a target as far away as inland China, flying at an altitude of more than 18,000 meters.
At the Naha base, an additional F-15 fighter jet squadron comprising about 20 planes will be deployed. The two squadrons, which scramble jets in response to airspace violations in the region, are expected to greatly improve the ASDF’s deterrence capability.
Meanwhile, the Maritime Self-Defense Force will raise its number of destroyers in operation from 47 to 54. Among the new vessels, two small 3,000-ton class destroyers will be built to prepare for an expected escalation of intrusions by Chinese government vessels into Japanese territorial waters around the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture.
Despite the increased warning and surveillance activities in the air and at sea, questions remain about what the government will do if a foreign force overruns and occupies a remote island.
In such a case, an amphibious rapid deployment brigade to be newly instituted for recapturing seized islands will be mobilized.
Under the assumed scenario, the ASDF and MSDF would deploy their units to secure an advantageous position and take control of the situation. MV-22 Osprey transport aircraft, 17 of which are scheduled to be introduced, and 52 amphibious vehicles scheduled to be deployed would then land on the island.
Still, it is unclear whether Japanese forces will be able to counter China’s expansion in the years ahead, as China has rapidly expanded its military capabilities.
China announced a massive defense budget of ¥11.11 trillion for 2013, more than double Japan’s ¥4.68 trillion. Moreover, China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, which was commissioned in September 2012, entered the South China Sea for the first time last month. Beijing is now mass-manufacturing a new type of destroyer to defend the carrier.
As part of its air force buildup, China is accelerating development of a next-generation advanced stealth fighter jet. Regarding China’s intelligence gathering and reconnaissance abilities, an MSDF senior officer said, “Although the Chinese military is inferior to the U.S. military or SDF at the moment, who knows what it will be like in 10 years?”
Defense Minister Itsunori Onodera underscored the government’s determination to counter China with its new defense policy at a press conference Tuesday. “Given the tense situation in the East China Sea, the security environment has changed, so that Japan has to face [China] squarely on its own to resolve it,” he said.
http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0000880713
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