The United States Navy tested its newest piece of firepower in the waters off Guam in the Pacific. The USS Gabrielle Giffords fired off a naval strike missile, a sea-skimming cruise missile that is difficult to spot on radar, and can manoeuvre to avoid enemy defences. The missile, along with a variety of other weapons, was fired at an old US Navy frigate, the former USS Ford, which was towed to the Pacific to act as a target in the testing. This represents significant progress in the US’ military efforts as the Giffords is the first US Navy ship to deploy with a naval strike missile, and analysts say it helps even the equation in the Pacific, where China has been increasing and developing its arsenal.
Although China still outnumbers the US 3-1 on the cruise missile front, Washington’s development of weapons that can be utilised on water will serve as a warning to Beijing.
Rand Corp. Senior Defence Analyst Timothy Heath said: “The Pentagon is building a military force that can operate on a more sustainable basis and has a better chance of fighting and surviving within the PLA’s (People’s Liberation Army of China) deadly anti-access, area denial envelope.”
President of China Xi Jinping has been overt in his attempts to assert Beijing control over the disputed South China Sea region, where multiple Asian countries as well as the US and Australia are grappling for control of various waters in the region.
The motives behind such tense competition include lucrative shipping lanes, opportunities to explore waters for natural resources such as oil, and especially in China’s case, as part of a struggle for military and economic presence across the East and beyond.
One country China has aggravated in the region is Vietnam, as Beijing Hanoi to withdraw its ships from exploration missions in search of natural resources.
China has a history of sending ships into Vietnamese territory.
In July, China sent fleets to the Vanguard Bank, an area that lies in the Vietnam economic exclusion zone.
READ MORE: South China Sea outrage: Furious Vietnam heighten Beijing tensions
Also, in 2014 Beijing-Hanoi tensions resurfaced when a Chinese oil rig Hai Yang Shi You 981 moved into Vietnamese waters, leading to a military stand off.
The Philippines has also been a centre of discontent with China, with Beijing allegedly attempting to bribe President Rodrigo Duterte with shares in oil companies to turn a bind eye to Chinese violation of international law in the region.