U.S. Considering Permanent Naval Task Force Near China
By Donald Standeford, Correspondent - Follow -
Date Published: June 18th, 2021 12:30AM UTC
Last Modified: June 18th, 2021 12:30AM UTC
WASHINGTON - The Pentagon is currently devising a plan to establish a permanent naval task force in the Pacific near China, in light of China's expanding military and 'assertive' behavior as NATO declares China a security threat for the first time.
The Biden administration is claiming to be tough on China and a permanent naval task force near the communist state would give the administration some credibility on that claim and give the U.S. a quick response time in situations where China pushes its limits with its aggressive behavior.
Elbridge Colby, an official for the Pentagon under the Trump administration stated, "The task force and the named operation suggest to me that they are going to elevate the oomph and the power of the Western Pacific oriented force".
Colby added that if the task force "is focused on the Western Pacific, whether it’s focused on China explicitly or implicitly, it’s got bureaucratic oomph to say ‘hey, no [Central Command], just because you have a knee-jerk reaction to something happening you can’t steal our assets".
Consulting firm analyst, Jerry Hendrix said that the task force would serve as a "deterrent because it demonstrates a unity of effort in countering Chinese excessive threats to the concept of a free sea and free trade with their large territorial sea claims".
The task force is still in planning stages and it is not known yet whether it would include only United States naval forces or also include forces from other nations.
