The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) has announced its helicopter carrier JS Kaga (DDH 184) will conduct on-board operational tests of Lockheed Martin F-35B Lightning II multirole fighter aircraft off the coast of San Diego, California from October 5 to November 18.
Also on Tuesday, the JMSDF issued a release stating that a “special transport exercise” between the JMSDF and U.S. Navy involving JMSDF tank landing ship JS Shimokita (LST-4002) and amphibious assault carrier USS America (LHA-6) will be carried out from Thursday to Saturday off the main island of Shikoku to Suruga Bay on the main island of Honshu to improve the JMSDF’s tactical capabilities and interoperability between the two navies.
Indo-Pacific Command commander Adm. Samuel Paparo held a video conference on Monday (Tuesday China time) with PLA Southern Theater Commander Gen. Wu Yanan, the first between the two militaries’ key commands since China scrapped bilateral communications in 2022. A readout by INDOPACOM stated that the call was a deliverable from the bilateral meeting between President Joe Biden and President Xi Jinping of the People’s Republic of China, held Nov. 2023, at which both leaders agreed to resume high-level military-to-military communication between the Department of Defense and the PLA, and to hold conversations between the INDOPACOM commander and the PLA’s theater commanders.
“During the call, Paparo underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the U.S. military and the PLA, noting that such discussions between senior leaders serve to clarify intent and reduce the risk of misperception or miscalculation,” according to the readout, which also stated that Paparo cited several recent PLA unsafe interactions with U.S. allies and reinforced the PLA’s obligation to comply with international laws and norms to ensure operational safety. The INDOPACOM commander also urged the PLA to reconsider its use of dangerous, coercive and potentially escalatory tactics in the South China Sea and beyond.
The release stated that the commanders had a constructive and respectful exchange of views. “Paparo expressed hope that this discussion with his PLA counterpart would be the first of many such conversations and noted the necessity of continued dialogue on issues of concern with Gen. Wu, as well as with counterparts in other PLA theater commands,” concluded the release.
China cut off military-to-military meetings following then–House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in August 2022, with Paparo’s predecessor Adm. John Aquilino stating in March 2023 that China has not responded to any of INDOPACOM’s requests to establish direct communication channels between its commander and the commanders of China’s main military commands, despite Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and then-China’s Minister of National Defense Gen. Wei Fenghe agreeing in November 2022 that operational commanders should keep lines of communication open.
However, since the November meeting between the two Presidents, the two militaries resumed a previously suspended military meeting in January. In addition, Austin had a conference call with Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun in April followed by a meeting at International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) Shangri-La Dialogue 2024 on May 31.
China’s Ministry of Defense issued a short release on the commanders’ call. “According to the consensus reached by the heads of state of China and the United States at San Francisco summit, General Wu Yanan, Commander of the Chinese PLA Southern Theater Command, had a video call with Commander of US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Paparo this morning, during which the two sides exchanged in-depth views on issues of common concern,” read the entire release.
