The US and the EU concluded their first-ever joint naval exercises on Friday as the Western powers are stepping up military cooperation that is aimed at China.
While most EU members are NATO allies of the US, this marks the first time the US formally conducted joint naval drills with vessels operating as part of an EU force. An American guided-missile destroyer participated in the drills with one Spanish ship and one Italian vessel.
The Spanish and Italian ships that participated are part of the EU’s Naval Force Operation Atalanta, an anti-piracy mission that operates off the horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean. The location of the drills, which took place on Thursday and Friday, was not disclosed.
China was not mentioned by name in either the US or EU statements on the drills, but they were said to be done as part of the “shared commitment of the EU and United States to work towards practical maritime cooperation and support a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
According to the State Department, the exercises were the result of a decision made at “the last round of the EU-US High-Level Consultations on the Indo-Pacific on 2 December 2022.”
As part of its military buildup in the Asia Pacific, the US has been rallying its allies to join in on the provocations aimed at China. In recent years, the UK, France, and Germany have sent ships to the South China Sea.
When will EU stand up for itself and get away from
becoming America’s lap dog? Stop sanctioning itself for the benefit of only the military industrial complex! Fight for world peace for once instead be imperialists in service to the Empire!
EU has a good thing going for it with the US supplying protection and the largest share of money for that purpose.
To be sure, some palms are being greased, and the people demonstrating in the streets know it.
Germany should never have looked the other way when Biden took down NordStream. Germany’s industrial base has fallen on its sword for Biden, and may never recover.
Without Chinese goods, Western prosperity isn’t going to continue.
Plus, Santa will have an empty sled.
“Provocations”?………… Idiocy.
USNATO is bogging down in Ukraine and needs a fresh war? They plan to occupy China’s weapons fields and steal weapons?
Now the EU sticking their militaristic noses into Asia too?
China is brokering peace in the Middle East: can’t have that now can we?
If you don’t think WWIII won’t happen, why else would all these ‘exercises’ keep going on in China’s backyard? (remember, Wash.’s backyard includes all the Americas and now Eurasia and Asia also).
I didn’t realize China had that many pipelines underwater.
“Joint naval drills” – really? It was three ships, ffs, and you know which one was giving the orders.
China:
“Go ahead, make my day.”
Spanish ship was a three-master (a little galley humor).