US military's new equipment is deployed in clusters in the Asia Pacific MQ | drones | US military
The website of the US Department of Defense recently reported that the MQ-9A Reaper drone equipped by the US Marine Corps has formed initial combat capabilities in the Indo Pacific region.
The report also stated that the US Marine Corps is undergoing a comprehensive transformation, placing greater emphasis on reconnaissance and anti reconnaissance capabilities.
US Marine Corps Official Announcement
Data image: MQ-9 Reaper drone from the United States
Military observer Zhou Weizheng introduced that the US Marine Corps purchased the first MQ-9A Reaper drone in September 2021 and has announced the formation of initial combat capabilities, indicating that the US Marine Corps has begun to put it into actual military missions.
Zhou Weizheng:
This indicates that the US Marine Corps has a basic understanding of the combat performance and training tactics of this drone. In the future, it may be used to implement the commander's instructions on maintaining continuous intelligence gathering, battlefield monitoring and reconnaissance capabilities, further integrating military operations in the sea, ground, air, and network fields, and providing information support for the US military's daily combat operations around the world, as well as possible major country military confrontations in the future.
Collaborative operations deserve vigilance
On August 2nd local time, the 3rd Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron of the US Marine Corps held a ceremony to celebrate the initial combat capability of its equipped Reaper drones
The report mentioned that the first unit to operate a Reaper drone in the Indo Pacific region was the 3rd Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Squadron of the US Marine Corps, which will provide aerial reconnaissance support to the 3rd Coastal Operations Regiment of the US Marine Corps, also stationed in Hawaii.
According to Zhou Weizheng's analysis, with the support of the MQ-9A Reaper drone, the 3rd Coastal Combat Team will become a cutting-edge force for the US military to implement the "great power competition" strategy in the Asia Pacific region.
Zhou Weizheng:
Carrying out island and reef attack and defense missions in the Western Pacific region, and organizing landing missions from the coasts of other countries, both of which have strong targeting.
Currently, the military focus in the Asia Pacific region is on the capture and defense of some disputed islands, as well as landing and anti landing operations in key straits. The United States is vigorously building and developing coastal combat missions to enhance its strategic deterrence capabilities against major countries in the Asia Pacific region and enhance its ability to respond to sudden security issues.
A New Platform for US Long Range Amphibious Infiltration
Data image: New type of miniature submarine in the United States
According to reports, the US Navy has recently deployed a new type of miniature submarine that can carry US Navy SEALs to perform secret missions underwater in a more comfortable and safe manner.
Regarding this, Zhou Weizheng believes that the biggest feature of this type of submarine is its equipped "dry deck carrier cabin".
Zhou Weizheng:
This type of submarine allows the crew to avoid being constantly immersed in cold water, as well as not wearing respirators and diving suits, resulting in less physical energy consumption for the crew.
This electric micro submarine has a displacement of about 30 tons, a length of less than 12 meters, a speed of 5 knots, and a maximum range of about 60 nautical miles. Due to its short range, it can only be carried by nuclear submarines performing special operations missions to the vicinity of the mission area through "external deployment" and then concealed. This type of micro submarine is also more convenient to assemble and dock with other submarines.
With this power, the US military is more likely to actively carry out special operations in the Pacific region and provoke trouble.
Accelerate and provoke regional confrontation
Zhou Weizheng further pointed out that in recent years, under the hype of the US Indo Pacific strategy, various branches of the US military have spared no effort in strengthening their military capabilities against so-called opponents, which will bring a series of incalculable risks and security pressures to the Asia Pacific region.
Zhou Weizheng:
The US Marine Corps, which is no longer satisfied with traditional tasks and capacity building, is developing new submarine platforms and other weapons and equipment to build relatively independent long-range island and coastal attack and defense capabilities. The US Navy, Air Force, and Army have also made similar expansion moves.
The various branches of the US military are vigorously developing combat capabilities targeting specific major countries in order to seize a share of defense funds. This will further create a distorted belligerent atmosphere, trigger a chain reaction between allies and opponents, seriously undermine regional peace and mutual trust, and intensify military confrontation between major powers.
