Russia’s Pacific Fleet Conducts Weapons Tests

The Russian Navy’s Pacific Fleet is set to carry out various weapons tests, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on Friday. Moscow’s drills come amid heightened tensions in the region as well as numerous large scale war drills led by Washington and its allies.

The weapons tests and combat exercises are being described as an inspection of Moscow’s Pacific Fleet. “The main objective of this inspection is to increase the ability of the Armed Forces to repel the aggression of a probable enemy from the direction of ocean and sea,” Shoigu has explained.

According to Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov, the Russian navy will be put on high alert during the drills and one of the primary goals of the exercises is ensuring the strategic nuclear submarines’ combat readiness.

Forces will also be deployed to training areas for combat exercises such as Russia’s Sakhalin island, where there will be an enemy landing simulation. Similar drills will also be held on its southern Kuril islands, some of which are claimed by Tokyo in a territorial dispute dating back to the end of World War Two.

Shoigu noted the drills will see the fleet locate and destroy enemy submarines, naval strike groups, and land equipment. Russia’s Air Force will also participate in the drills and air defense units will cover possibly sensitive areas.

Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied that the weapons tests are in any way a response to the increasing tensions in the region and US led war drills. "This is a common practice, it has been constantly carried out in recent years and it continues. This is about maintaining the necessary level of combat readiness of our armed forces," Peskov said during a daily news briefing.

However, this year has seen and will continue to see massive US led war exercises in the region with its allies in Seoul, Tokyo, and Manila. The White House’s strategy of refusing diplomacy and drastically ramping up the military pressure on Pyongyang has led North Korea to launch record numbers of missile tests. 

During the past few days, North Korea launched an intercontinental ballistic missile which was followed by joint US-South Korean air exercises involving at least one American B-52 bomber. Additionally, on Saturday, the South Korean military fired warning shots to repel a North Korean patrol vessel which is claimed to have violated the Northern Limit Line – drawn up at the end of the 1950-1953 Korean War – while chasing a Chinese fishing boat, officials said. Due to poor visibility, a high speed South Korean vessel crashed into the Chinese boat, causing some sailors to incur minor injuries.

Earlier this month, the US, South Korea, and Japan launched anti-submarine war games in waters near the Korean Peninsula. The drills were led by the USS Nimitz, a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. This followed the largest live fire war games the US and South Korean militaries have conducted in 5 years. In June, Washington and Seoul will carry out their largest ever live fire military exercises.

The US plans to deploy more bombers and other strategic assets to the region, American officials have threatened North Korea with obliteration, and crippling sanctions are maintained indefinitely unless Pyongyang agrees to denuclearize and disarm itself. North Korea perceives the huge escalation in military exercises on its doorstep as rehearsals for regime change and nuclear war.

The US is concurrently expanding its military bases in the Philippines, and elsewhere in the region, eyeing Beijing and a future war over the island of Taiwan. For more than a decade, the Pentagon has been increasing its military presence in the region as part of its "pivot to Asia," the largest military buildup since World War Two, encircling China.

Last year, the US, Japan, and South Korea entered a trilateral defense agreement eyeing Pyongyang and Beijing. At the time, North Korea referred to this pact as an “Asian version of NATO.” As part of a buildup against China, Japan recently announced it would double its military budget and increase cooperation with the Pentagon.

This month, Washington and Manila began their largest ever joint military exercises as well. 17,600 military personnel are taking part, including 12,000 American troops. The Balikatan exercises will also see more than 100 Australian soldiers participate. The increasing pressure on both Russia and China has seen the two countries step up their own military cooperation in the region.

Connor Freeman is the assistant editor and a writer at the Libertarian Institute, primarily covering foreign policy. He is a co-host on the Conflicts of Interest podcast. His writing has been featured in media outlets such as Antiwar.com, Counterpunch, and the Ron Paul Institute for Peace and Prosperity. He has also appeared on Liberty Weekly, Around the Empire, and Parallax Views. You can follow him on Twitter @FreemansMind96.