generalspeaking

Sharing The Seas

"They seemed anxious to engage our medical side. The technologies they have are as good as what we have in North America but there is a different cultural approach to medicine."
"This is a fantastic first step."
Lt.-Col. Nick Withers, Canadian/Afghanistan veteran, command surgeon for RIMPAC

"It is a great chance to understand each other and see how we work."
"The Chinese have been on our carrier and have had a chance to talk with our officers. Soon they'll have three or four carriers. I think that that is great."
"There is a lot of learning to come and I think they'll have fun."
U.S. Rear Admiral Pat Hall, naval aviator, commander, Carrier Strike Group 9

Fifty vessels from 22 countries have been invited to Rim of the Pacific manoeuvres, where warships in Hawaiian waters are taking part in a great, collective exercise, getting to know one another's techniques, seacraft and allied technologies, and presumably how to make contact with each other in emergency situations to defray the potential of misunderstandings.

"If we have a chance encounter we'll know how they operate and they'll know how we operate", explained Rear Admiral Hall. And here is the super-power-in-waiting exposed to the seaworthiness and preparedness of the established superpower. China has its eye on building a blue-water navy featuring their current Soviet-built aircraft carrier, another two they will build themselves, and over 120 surface warships and submarines.


This ambitious naval buildup, set to see completion in 2020, may have indeed what the United States and its allies will feel to have a nefarious purpose, in support of Beijing's claim to the vast oil and gas-rich resources held beneath the western Pacific beyond the internationally recognized 200-nautical mile (370-kilometre) limit. And that would be inclusive of claiming the more distant sea lanes dedicated to China's imports and exports.

China's ambition in this regard terrifies and angers in equal measure, its neighbours whose own seaworthy resources cannot match that of their aggressive neighbour. They feel as entitled to those contested waters as China, through long-held territorial claims. South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam know that the United States has their back, but for the moment, China has America's smiling face confronting it.

Better to groom good relations in times of peace than prepare for conflict over events in the future.

Rear Admiral Hall made himself available for an interview to be featured on China's main evening newscast, viewed by hundreds of millions of people. Sailors in the aircraft maintenance hangars below deck were interviewed for that purpose as well. An opportunity to view and record a demonstration of U.S. navy Super Hornets catapult-launched and arrestor-cable-caught on their return was also featured.

For their part, the Chinese navy permitted only limited access to their Peace Ark hospital ship and questions fielded by Western media directed at military doctors and nurses were vetted beforehand. A right of veto on stories before publication or broadcast was demanded, as well. "In the future, China will be conducting more missions and operations with other navies", Senior Capt. Zhao Xiao-gang, leading the Chinese task force at RIMPAC informed Aviation Week.

China has recognized, said Capt. Zhao a need to ensure that its navy could share information and communicate usefully with other navies, and this motivated China's presence at the combined exercise. And for that very same reason China has accepted in advance offer to participate in the next RIMPAC war games scheduled for 2016.

"The Americans did the right thing to invite them here. Surface vessels have to operate at sea together to avoid misunderstandings", explained Canadian Rear Admiral Gilles Couturier, commanding the maritime component of RIMPAC. Maritime interdiction boardings were practised, relative to apprehending small drug- and weapons-smuggling craft on the high seas. There was a joint disaster relief scenario.

"I've found it very positive. I've been on three of the four ships they have here. ... They are very professional", commented Rear Admiral Couturier. It was the medical specialists on the Chinese and American hospital ships; the Peace Ark and USS Mercy that elicited the closest cooperation. A number of Chinese doctors and nurses, cameras and recorders at hand listened to briefings from American military doctors speaking from years of battlefield experience.

In an exchange, doctors from the U.S. navy and other navies were fascinated to learn about traditional Chinese medicine, inclusive of acupuncture. "The Chinese have brought some of their top researchers in their fields. The information that they have had to present has been enlightening", said William Dutton, the Mercy's director of surgical services.

The Peace Ark, engaged previously on humanitarian missions to Latin America and the Philippines is equipped with eight operating theatres. Its staff include general surgeons, neurosurgeons, opthalmologists and dentists.  Quite the opportunity to display open sharing of resources and strategies.

And then ... there was the Chinese intelligence ship shadowing the exercise.

Labels: Canada, China, Human Relations, Medicine, Military, United States

posted by Pieface @ Wednesday, July 23, 2014