Like always, these threads are aimed at having open discussion and conversation revolving around the deployment/usage of tactical, regional, and strategic assets, as well as doctrine and policy decisions employed by regional players of the Pacific.
There is now a Discord that’s dedicated to strategic discussion, there are countless conversations to be had and learn from, feel free to join. Note: If you become a ghost member you will be kicked. Not saying you have to participate every day but we have had people join and not post once, if you are one of those people, you will be kicked. Trolls and shitposters are permabanned on site. Now with all that being said, let’s get to it.
The Theodore Roosevelt CSG has just left 5th Fleet in the past few days transferring back into 7th Fleet after 4 months of operating in the Middle East. That means that there are 3ish months left in it’s deployment before it returns back to it’s homeport in San Diego, due to the recent large PLAN naval drills involving the Liaoning CSG, I’m expecting the Teddy and the Vinson to conduct another dual CSG exercise, the Teddy CSG might of actually deployed to 7th Fleet as a direct response to the large PLAN exercise. The Truman CSG should be deploying by this weekend at the very latest and I am very confident that it will be deploying to 7th Fleet’s AOO as well, relieving the Teddy CSG in May or so. The Carl Vinson CSG just finished exercises with the JS Ise in the South China Sea, with the PLAN exercise being in response to JMSDF/USN, maybe. The Wasp Upgunned Expeditionary Strike Group is about to participate in Foal Eagle 2018, this will be the first true debut of not only the F-35B operating off an amphibious assault ship, but the JGSDFs amphibious brigade’s first true training exercise, being declared combat ready on March 26th.
The Truman CSG consists of the Truman, 7 Burkes, a Tico, and 2 Frigates from Norway and Germany, this is roughly double the size of a typical CSG and plausibly a CBG.(Me and another member of the Discord came to the conclusion that a Carrier Strike Group is primarily used for lower end threats like precision strikes in secure waterways , with a modest escort for the carrier, where a Carrier Battle Group is used to combat near peer adversaries and constitutes a large escort for the carrier.) I highly doubt the Truman CBG will head to 5th Fleet for the Teddy CSG Super Bugs were averaging about 3 sorties a day over Syria/Iraq simply because there was nothing left to strike, and even with the recent heightened tensions with Russia, a CBG would be a gross misallocation of resources. The USS Bonhomme Richard was in Okinawa as recent as the 22nd, a few weeks ago they were onloading their MEU and wrapping up their deployment(as far as I can tell). The The Essex ESG is currently conducting training exercises to certify the ships to become deployable, stating they will be deployed in the Summer. I think that a dual CSG exercise is all but certain, and another triple CSG is very plausible around the time of Rimpac, it’s obvious the USN is going back to it’s tried and true policy of carrier stacking.
Foal Eagle is suppose to start in the coming days and will be the first time the F-35B will participate in a large scale exercise from a LHD, which is kinda a big deal. The first amphibious brigade of the JGSDF is rumored to make it’s debut as well, which I feel is expected, I might make a thread on soley Foal Eagle when it ramps up.
kunsan.af.mil/News/Article/1466326/cope-tiger-2018-begins/ “Cope Tiger is an annual trilateral aerial exercise aimed at improving combat readiness and interoperability between the Republic of Singapore Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force, and U.S. Air Force, while concurrently enhancing the three nations' military relations.”
defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1111151/exercise-cope-north-concludes-in-guam/ “Exercise Cope North Guam aims to cultivate regional ties and seeks to enhance the Air Force's interoperability with allied forces in the Pacific region. The bilateral exercise is designed to enhance joint operational capability alongside 22 flying units from the Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Royal Australian Air Force, and the U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps.”
When the Teddy CSG was deployed, the CSG was tasked with a “fleet problem” that had to resolved on their way to Hawaii before the actual deployment. Where the COMPTUEXs that CSGs undergo before deployment are mostly scripted, the Fleet Problem was an open ended exercise that made commanders and officers think quickly and tactically, designed to combat near peer adversaries. Apparently it went off very well and inspired a lot of confidence.
The Japanese are, in my opinion, restructuring the JGSDF to be a rapidly deployable amphibious based force, citing the 2011 Tsunamis and Chinese aggression in the SCS/ECS as reasons for the "expansion". They want to eventually have a division of amphibious capable troops, I'll pull a source if you don't believe me.
That's leads me to another point, it's basically all but confirmed that the JMSDF is going to be procuring F-35Bs for the Izumo, as well as an increase in V-22 orders. Everyone thinks that the Izumo will fulfill the role as only a light carrier, while in reality it would be used as an Amphibious Assault ship, which makes it much more multirole. That, and it can fit a Brigades worth of soldiers in it, which is 350-400 soldiers, ironically the size of the first JGSDF amphibious brigade.
Having it be *only* a light Carrier would kind of go against the entire grand strategy of the JSDF
>There wasn’t much support within the Ground Self Defense Force (GSDF) either, given its dominance of the so-called “Hokkaido Mafia” – armor officers focused on repelling an unlikely Russian invasion of the northern island. Huh. Didn't know that.
