Table of Contents
The News
Please note
- Pitch Black air combat exercise is a biennial warfare exercise hosted by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
- The exercise is normally held in Northern Australia, primarily at RAAF Bases Darwin and Tindal.
- The last exercise was held in 2018 from 27 July to 17 August.
French Involvement – No big surprise
French Involvement – No big surprise
- France is participating in Pitch Black 22, although not for the first time.
- The French embassy in New Delhi called the 16,600-km long deployment by the French Air and Space Force a “major long-range mission in the Indo-Pacific.”
- The mission has been codenamed “Pegase 22,” the first stage of this complex deployment “aims to demonstrate France’s capacity for long-distance air power projection by deploying an Air Force contingent from metropolitan France to the French territory of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean in less than 72 hours.
Germany – A New Player
- German contingent will have 13 aircrafts
- Six Eurofighter jets
- Three A330 tankers
- Four A400M transporters
- It amounts to one of its largest peacetime deployment so far. Berlin is calling it the “Rapid Pacific 2022 deployment.”
- Germany has set a target to reach Singapore within 24 hours and then quickly deploy to Darwin in Australia’s northern coast.
- German deployment is noteworthy largely because German military assets are not frequent visitors in what is now known as the Indo-Pacific region.
Germany – A New Player
- In September 2020, under the chancellorship of Angela Merkel, Berlin announced its arrival in the region by releasing the “Policy guidelines for the Indo-Pacific.”
- Government of Chancellor Olaf Scholz, who succeeded Merkel in December 2021 is also keen on expanding his predecessor’s core commitments to Indo-Pacific security.
Why Europeans interested in Indo-Pacific?
- China’s rising strategic clout in the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
- Intensified geostrategic jostle in the region. (Pelosi visit to Taiwan)
- Possible destabilizing & tactical intervention in the Indo-Pacific.
Will these Europeans matter?
- Germany has been overly cautious about pushing the wrong buttons in the region.
- German Air force chief:
- Jets will “barely touch” the South China Sea and won’t pass through the Taiwan Strait.
- He further said that Germany wasn’t “sending any threatening message towards China by flying to an exercise in Australia.”
Will these Europeans matter?
- Compared to the Germans, the French have been more provocative – in challenging China in its own “backyard.”
- Back in 2020 and 2021, the French deployed several navy ships including a nuclear submarine – to patrol the hot waters of the Indo-Pacific.
- In 2019, France even sent a frigate through the Taiwan Strait.
- Its latest long-range air mission is just another addition to that line of deterrence-centric balancing moves.
Will these Europeans matter?
- Are they really interested in serving Indo – Pacific?
- Are they interested in serving their own national interest?
Question
- More and more European players are showing interest in Indo-Pacific region in recent times. Do you think European influence in Indo-Pacific is rising due to outgrowth of China’s growing influence in the region?
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