Just as the world's attention was at the Bali summit of the Sino-US and China-Japan summit, the master and servant of the United States and Japan made a big move at the door of China. A large-scale exercise called "Sword 23" was launched in full swing on the southwestern islands of Japan. As we all know, the first island chain of , is a key barrier for the United States to block China. Japan's southwest island is an important part of the first island chain and the most easily broken place. Its Miyagu Waterway and Tugala Strait are the key channels for the Chinese Navy to enter and exit the first island chain. It is self-evident that the United States and Japan hold large-scale exercises here.
The United States and Japan held the opening ceremony of the "Sword 23" exercise
The "Sword" series of exercises is the largest live-fire exercise between the United States and Japan, held every two years. The "Sword 23" exercise is the 16th time in this series of exercises. At first, the imaginary enemy of the "Sword" exercise was the Soviet Union/Russia, and the exercise locations were also mainly concentrated in northeastern Japan. With China's peaceful rise and the continuous development of military power, the imaginary enemy of the "Sword" exercise has become China. Especially after the Sino-Japanese Diaoyu Islands dispute broke out, the "Sword" exercise was determined to focus on island competition with China. Island battles are not just a single amphibious landing operation, but a comprehensive combat operation supported by , the premise is to control sea control and air control. Therefore, the "Sword" exercise will use all the land, sea and air combat elements of the Japanese Self-Defense Force and the US military stationed in Japan to conduct drills for maritime, air combat and amphibious combat subjects, so as to improve the US-Japan joint combat capabilities.
US and Japanese ships demonstrated their strength during the "Sword 23" exercise
1. The scale of the exercise troop force
According to the situation announced by Japan, the "Sword 23" exercise was mainly held from November 9 to 19, and in fact, its various preparation activities have already begun. Although it is still in 2022, the exercise was held in in 2023 fiscal year, so it is numbered "Sword 23". The US and Japan participated in the exercises to 36,000, the Japanese Self-Defense Force had about 26,000, the US military had about 10,000, and 370 US and Japan aircraft and more than 30 ships participated in the exercises. It should be noted that Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom have also sent ships and planes to participate in the exercises, showing that the Biden administration has always been doing to win over hard-core allies to join the encirclement of China. In particular, Canada and the United Kingdom are NATO countries. The two countries' participation in the "Sword" exercise shows that NATO is increasing its intervention in Indo-Pacific affairs. Although Australia, Canada and the United Kingdom only dispatched three ships, the symbolic significance was very obvious.
Canadian frigate participating in the "Sword 23" exercise
2. Exercise weapons and equipment
In the "Sword 23" exercise, the United States and Japan moved almost all types of weapons and equipment, the specific situation is as follows.
(I) Combat aircraft
US Air Force B-1B bomber, F-15C/D fighter, F-16C/D fighter, F-22 fighter , E-3G early warning aircraft, KC-46 and KC-135 tanker , AC-130J attack aircraft, C-17 transport aircraft and C-130J transport aircraft.
U.S. Air Force F-15 was deployed to the city building base to participate in the "Sword 23" exercise
U.S. Marine F/A-18C/D fighter jets, F-35B fighter jets , and MV-22 deflection rotor aircraft. US Navy F/A-18E/F fighter jets, EA-18G electronic attack aircraft, E-2D early warning aircraft , MH-60R/S helicopters, P-8A anti-submarine patrol aircraft .
Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-2 fighter, F-15J fighter , F-35A fighter, MV-22 deflection rotor, C-2 transport aircraft, E-2C early warning aircraft, KC-767 refueling aircraft, etc.; Maritime Self-Defense Force P-1 anti-submarine aircraft and P-3C anti-submarine aircraft; Ground Self-Defense Force AH-64D attack helicopter, CH-47J transport helicopter.
US Marine Corps F/A-18 was deployed to the Niandahara base to participate in the "Sword 23" exercise
(II) Surface ship
US Navy's USS Reagan aircraft carrier strike brigade, "Chancellsville" missile cruiser, and Benfude missile destroyer; Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Izumo helicopter aircraft carrier, Atago missile destroyer, Atsukaga missile destroyer , Seto Kiri destroyer; Australian Arunta missile frigate.
US-Japan and allied ships participating in the "Sword 23" exercise
(III) Amphibious and ground weapons
The 3rd Expeditionary Force of the United States Marine Corps and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Amphibious Brigade and Airborne Regiment are the main participating troops. Including the US Marine Corps M142 "Haimas" rocket launcher, the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force Type 12 shore-ship missile, Type 10 main battle tank, Type 16 mobile combat vehicle, AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicle, etc. The landing ships include the US Navy's amphibious dock landing ship, the US Navy's USS New Orleans, the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force two Osumi-class amphibious dock landing ships, LCA air cushion landing craft, etc.
Japanese Self-Defense Force amphibious assault vehicle conducts drills on the US Navy landing ship
3. The United States and Japan focus on carrying out exercises along the southwestern islands of Japan
According to the information released by the Japanese side, the United States and Japan deploy exercise forces from north to south from Kyushu Island - Amami Oshima - Okinawa Island - Yonakoshima, the purpose of which is to use the natural advantages of the first island chain to achieve a strategic blockade against China.
Kyushu Island is the base camp of Japan's combat against China. Its Sasebo Port is an important base for the US and Japanese amphibious combat ships and anti-mine ships. Its Ground Self-Defense Force Aura Base is the base of the Japanese amphibious forces. In addition, there are many aviation bases such as the Japanese Self-Defense Forces, Nittahara, and Kaya on Kyushu Island. During the "Sword 23" exercise, the US military deployed a large number of combat aircraft to bases on Kyushu Island. Participate in the exercise with Japan Airlines Self-Defense Force aircraft.
US military personnel took the Japanese Self-Defense Force CH-47JA helicopter to participate in the exercise
Amami Oshima is an important location of this exercise. The United States and Japan deployed the US Army's M142 rocket launcher and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's Type 12 anti-ship missile on the island, with the purpose of building the island into an important fulcrum for maritime interception operations.
Okinawa is the most densely-dense location for the US military stationed in Japan. Most of the US military's main forces come from Okinawa. The US Air Force F-15 fighter jets that are permanently resident on the island are an important force in competing with China for air supremacy in the East China Sea. In particular, the F-22 fighter jets that came here to deploy and replace the F-15 also participated in the exercise. In addition, Okinawa is also the medical assistance center for this exercise, and the injured people on various islands were airlifted to Okinawa for treatment.
"Sword 23" exercises, the Chinese and American and Japanese Army participated in a large number of casualty rescue exercises in Futenma, Okinawa,
and Nakojima . This is a situation that needs serious attention in this exercise. Yu Nagu Island is Japan's territory closest to Taiwan, China, and is an important springboard for the United States and Japan to intervene in the Taiwan Strait issue. The purpose of the United States and Japan holding exercises here is obvious. The "Sword 23" exercise moved the exercise ground to Yonagawa Island and dispatched a C-2 transport aircraft to airlift the Type 16 motor vehicle from Okinawa to Yonagawa Island. Although there are not many exercise scenes with Nagko Island, it should be noted that the United States and Japan have established a joint command organization on the island, which may be practiced and commanded the United States and Japan to participate in Taiwan Strait operations for preparations.
In addition, the United States and Japan also conducted some drills in the Misawa area of Hokkaido . In particular, the US Air Force AC-130J attack aircraft participated in the exercise in Mizawa. The Mizawa area is far away from the East China Sea, and the AC-130J is not permanent in Japan. The drill in Mizawa may be based on the meaning of targeting North Korea or Russia.
The exercise ended with an amphibious landing operation held on Tokuno Island. Japanese media said the exercise simulates the joint regaining of the islands occupied by the enemy. From this perspective, Tokuno Island may simulate the Diaoyu Island. On the day of the exercise, local residents also went to the coast to watch the exercise, which seemed very lively.On the day of the landing operation, the US military's MV-22 took the lead and airlifted a batch of US Marines to Tokuno Island to seize the landing site. Then the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles, rubber boats, and hovercraft sailed out from the amphibious ships of the US Navy and the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force, launched a beach landing on the coast of Tokuno Island, and successfully landed on the beach under the cover of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force's "Apache" armed helicopter. Overall, it covers two basic login combat modes: vertical login and horizontal login.
Japanese Self-Defense Force amphibious assault vehicle departed from the US landing ship to Germany Island for landing operations
IV. Several characteristics that need attention in the exercise
First, the Japanese Self-Defense Force sings the protagonist as cannon fodder rushes forward. , in the amphibious landing operation, the most casualties, could not see the US soldiers charging into battle, but all Japanese soldiers launched a charge towards the beach. The US military only dispatched amphibious ships and aircraft to provide strong support, so the Japanese should be the cannon fodder. In addition, the US Marine Corps' amphibious landing capabilities are currently at a relatively low level. The US Marine Corps' AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicle has been severely aged and stopped using. The latest ACV amphibious vehicle has not yet been put into service in large quantities, and there are no convenient landing vehicles around me for the time being. However, the US military's vertical landing capability is still strong, especially the MV-22 has huge advantages over traditional helicopters, giving amphibious combat operations great flexibility.
US Marine Corps personnel took MV-22 to log in vertically on Deutsch Island
Second, the United States and Japan will focus on stealth fighter advantages in seeking to seize air supremacy. During the "Sword 23" exercise, the three stealth aircrafts of the United States and Japan, , participated in the exercise in the southwest of Japan, which is the first time. Among them, the F-22 comes from the 3rd U.S. Air Force Wing stationed in , Alaska, and the purpose of deploying Kadena Okinawa is to make up for the gap in combat power of the base's F-15 fighter jets after they return to the United States and retire. The F-35A comes from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force stationed in Mizawa, reflecting that the Japanese F-35A already has relatively complete combat capabilities. The F-35B comes from the US Marine Corps stationed in Iwaki. In the future, Japan will also be equipped with the F-35B and deployed on the transformed "Izumo" class helicopter aircraft carrier, making it a true aircraft carrier . With the increasing number of Chinese J-20 fighter jets, it is difficult for the United States to gain an advantage in the number of stealth aircraft alone. It is necessary to make good use of the F-35 equipped by Japan and South Korea to maintain its advantage over China.
Okinawa F-22 fighter jets in Okinawa received air refueling in the "Sword" exercise
Third, the United States and Japan will mainly fight on the first island chain in a distributed combat mode . Distributed operations are the basic principle that guides the US military's future operations. This is an effective measure against China's ever-improving long-range strike capabilities. All branches of the US military have proposed corresponding combat concepts. In the future, the US Marine Corps will mainly prepare for combat against China under the concept of "expeditionary advance base combat" and perform coastal combat missions in the form of "fighting guerrilla". During the "Sword 23" exercise, the US Marine Corps established an "Expeditionary Progress Base" resource on Amami Oshima. The US Army and the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force carried out anti-ship combat operations. The US Air Force has launched the concept of "agile combat use" to disperse combat aircraft to small simple airports to improve survivability. During the "Sword 23" exercise, the deployment of US military aircraft from Okinawa to Kyushu area is also a concrete manifestation of the concept of "agile combat use".
US and Japanese pilots used the model of China's J-10 aircraft (yellow circle) for ground training
5. Although the island chain is tight, it is difficult to tie the Canglong
Although the US and Japan have a good plan, today when China's military power is developing rapidly, relying on the first island chain to bind the development of China's giant dragon is too ideal. In fact, it is interesting to see many recent things. After the 20th National Congress, the People's Liberation Army showed off its advanced and complete combat system at the Zhuhai Air Show in a high-profile manner. this time display has effectively enhanced the influence of the country and the military. Zhuhai Air Show is closely connected with the China-US Summit and the "Sword" exercise, showing our military's confidence and ability to deal with the threats from the United States and Japan. Nowadays, no matter what kind of troops or weapons the United States and Japan deploy on the first island chain, they cannot escape the attack of long-range firepower in our army. The era of has changed. If Japan does not recognize the form and is bound to the US chariot, it is willing to be a pawn and hawk who is willing to contain China and control China. What awaits it will be our army's Thunder punch.
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