Asia Pacific Naval Directory

High to low: Asia-Pacific naval developments in 2018 show range of requirements and capabilities.

- Dr Lee Willett

On 30 September 2018, the US Navy (USN) Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Decatur conducted a freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) through waters close to the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea. Sovereignty of the islands is disputed between Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Republic of China, Vietnam, and China.

China, which calls the Spratlys the Nansha Islands, protested strongly against the FONOP deployment. In a statement on 2 October, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs stated: “China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters”, adding that the USN actions, conducted “under the pretext of ‘navigation and overflight freedom’, violated basic norms governing international relations, threatened China's sovereignty and security, and disturbed regional peace and stability.” Reiterating Beijing’s strong dissatisfaction with the ship’s sailing, the statement further stated that China “will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national sovereignty and security”.

The US FONOP followed hard on the heels of a similar transit conducted by the United Kingdom’s (UK) Royal Navy (RN) landing platform dock amphibious assault ship HMS Albion in waters around the Paracel Islands in August 2018.

According to reports, both FONOPS saw People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) surface ships shadowing the transits. Territorial disputes remain one of the highest security risks in the Asia-Pacific region, and the sequence of FONOPS events underlines the way in which naval operations are continuing to feature at the highest end of the strategic debate in the region.

Stability and security