TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An analyst said the U.S.-led 2024 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC) that begins on Thursday (June 27) around the Hawaiian Islands is demonstrating the ability to sink Chinese amphibious assault ships bound for Taiwan.
The U.S. Navy said the 29th biennial RIMPAC exercise has 29 countries participating, including 40 surface ships, four submarines, army units from 14 countries, over 171 aircraft, and more than 25,000 personnel. Compared to the 2022 exercise, which had 26 countries and 38 ships participating.
This year's exercise will include the live-fire sinking of a 40,000-ton target ship. There will also be various scenarios such as anti-submarine warfare, multi-ship surface warfare, multinational amphibious landings, and multi-axis defense of a carrier strike group against "live forces."
The sinking exercise (SINKEX) is a major focus of RIMPAC, where participants use anti-ship weapons to conduct live-fire attacks on the target vessel, the retired USS Tarawa (LHA-1) amphibious assault ship.
A senior fellow with the International Assessment and Strategy Center Richard D. Fisher, Jr. said the Tarawa is being used in response to China's recent developments in large amphibious assault ships and aircraft carriers and their potential use in a Taiwan Strait conflict, reported VOA.
Fisher said that to deter war with China the allies need to consider undertaking many SINKEX exercises along a large periphery "to prove to China the ability to instantly sink large numbers of Chinese ships from the very beginning of a conflict.”
The analyst said China plans to use its burgeoning amphibious assault forces if it were to try and invade Taiwan. He said China has eight Type 071 amphibious transport docks with large landing platforms, each over 20,000 tons, and they are currently equipping their fourth 40,000-ton Type 075 landing helicopter dock (LHD).
Fisher said the Tarawa is roughly the same size as China's LHD. “So proving to the Chinese that we can sink one of their Type 075 LHDs very quickly is an essential message to be conveying to the Chinese in 2024,” said Fisher.
According to VOA, Taiwan is not participating in this year's drills despite repeated expressions of interest and calls from U.S. Congress members to invite Taipei.
The report also mentioned that former U.S. President Trump's National Security Advisor, Robert C. O'Brien, recently published an article in Foreign Affairs urging Taiwan's inclusion in future RIMPAC exercises.
