US Navy sends littoral combat ships to ‘bolster attack strength in South China Sea’
- Two Independence-class vessels – the USS Gabrielle Giffords and USS Montgomery – have been operating in the disputed waters
- US Defence Secretary Mark Esper says operations have been stepped up to send a signal that China should ‘abide by international rules’
The US Navy is strengthening its presence in the South China Sea by deploying two Independence-class ships specialising in nearshore operations.
This deployment of the littoral combat ships suggested that the US strategy had switched from reconnaissance and deterrence to increasing its attack capability, a Beijing-based think tank said.
The USS Gabrielle Giffords left Singapore’s Changi naval base on a mission on November 15, according to ship tracking information, while the USS Montgomery conducted a joint operation with two Australian warships between November 6 and 12.
Both ships were active in the South China Sea, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, where China’s claims over the waters conflict with those of a number of neighbouring countries.
Beijing’s efforts to expand its military presence in the region by building military outposts with airfields, radars, missile positions and naval harbours on its artificial islands have been challenged by the United States, which has frequently sent warships past the disputed reefs in what it describes as “freedom of navigation” operations.
