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| Valiant Shield training 22 in indo-pacific |
International Military - The United States is holding a massive war game called Valiant Shield in the Indo-Pacific. The maneuver, which involved two aircraft carriers, a number of warships and F-35 stealth fighter jets, was seen as a warning to China. Exercise Valiant Shield 22 was held from June 6 to June 17 by the US Navy's 7th Fleet, the branch responsible for American Indo-Pacific operations.
War drill sites in Guam, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Palau, and in the seas around the Mariana Islands Range Complex. This massive maneuver includes carrier strike operations, anti-submarine warfare, cyber warfare, to space warfare.
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Valiant Shield 22 focuses on two Carrier Battle Groups: USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76) and USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). In total, Valiant Shield 22 includes 15 surface warships, more than 200 fighter, attack aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, and fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft support, as well as approximately 13,000 troops from the Navy, Air Force, Army, Marine Corps, and Space Force.
VS22 is a US-specific biannual field exercise (FTX) focused on integrating joint training in a multi-domain environment, the US Navy's 7th Fleet said in a statement.
This training builds real-world proficiency in maintaining joint forces through the detection, deployment, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, on the ground, and in cyberspace in response to various mission areas, the statement continued.
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Exercises like VS22 allow troops across the Indo-Pacific the opportunity to integrate the Navy, Marine Corps, Army, Air Force, Space Forces, and Special Operations to train in precise, lethal, and beyond multi-axis, multi-domain effects. commonplace that demonstrates the strength and versatility of the Combined Forces, added the 7th Fleet.
In addition to the two aircraft carriers, the amphibious landing craft USS Tripoli, Marine Expeditionary Forces I and III, Air Force 36th Wing, and 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command (AAMDC) also participated in the exercise.
The Valiant Shield exercise first started in 2006, and it is the ninth iteration of the large-scale training. “The VS22 FTX prepares Joint Forces to respond rapidly to crises and contingencies across the spectrum of operations from humanitarian aid and disaster relief to armed conflict,” continued 7th Fleet.
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"VS22 assists US forces in developing regional and global power projection capabilities. Integrated training provides multiple options for successfully defending US interests and its allies and partners around the world."
Over the past few years, the Chinese military has really stepped up pressure in the Indo-Pacific, especially against Taiwan.
It is the result of a thorough modernization effort that seeks to make China's military a regional power in the waters and skies of the Indo-Pacific. Although Beijing is still far from that goal, it is achieving it with a few steps.
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Some military media consider this Valiant Shield 22 exercise a US warning to China. Such maneuvers offer realistic opportunities to test and develop concepts and tactics, techniques and procedures that will be used in real combat.