Showcase of military technology in 2022 displays commitment to innovation in year ahead
FORUM Staff
From the debut of the United States’ B-21 Raider stealth bomber to cross-domain trainings on multinational levels, Indo-Pacific nations in 2022 showcased their commitments to military technology advances and articulated plans to expand innovation in the year ahead.
One of the biggest announcements came from the U.S., which introduced the B-21 Raider, pictured, in December. It marked the first unveiling of a new U.S. bomber aircraft in more than 30 years and represented the U.S. Defense Department’s response to rising concerns of a future conflict with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).
“This isn’t just another airplane,” U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said. “It’s the embodiment of America’s determination to defend the republic that we all love.”
Earlier in 2022, military leaders from Australia, France, India, Japan and the U.S. convened in New Delhi to emphasize the role technology plays in integrated deterrence and share ways to leverage innovation to enhance security.
“Our common values and interests bring us together,” Adm. John Aquilino, Commander U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), said during the conference. “All forms of technology apply in the military sphere. All nations are utilizing every aspect to try to gain an advantage.”
That includes the PRC, which is on track to have 1,500 nuclear weapons by 2035 as it gains in hypersonic, cyberwarfare and space capabilities, according to The Associated Press (AP). Such advances by the PRC present “the most consequential and systemic challenge to U.S. national security and the free and open international system,” according to the Defense Department’s annual report on the PRC.
Nations outside the Indo-Pacific also are facing those challenges. For example, the Ecuadorian government turned to Canadian technology in June to monitor a Chinese fleet’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing around the Galápagos Islands. Space technology company MDA, based in Brampton, Ontario, provided satellite tracking, remote sensing and the ability to synthesize large amounts of data to the Ecuadorian Navy, which detected 180 Chinese vessels near the islands’ exclusive economic zone, reported Diálogo Américas, a publication of U.S. Southern Command.
“It seems very positive to me that Ecuador has this type of agreement with companies or countries that collaborate on technological systems to detect these fleets,” said Milko Schvartzman, an Argentine marine conservation expert and member of the nongovernmental organization Círculo de Políticas Ambientales, which seeks to strengthen environmental policies and promote ecosystem protection, according to Diálogo Américas.
In Northeast Asia, tensions remained high as North Korea continued a barrage of missile tests throughout 2022. The threat has prompted South Korean and U.S. officials to discuss expanding the Silent Shark exercise in 2023. Silent Shark integrates U.S. and Republic of Korea anti-submarine warfare assets to boost interoperability. The drills, introduced in 2007, will likely be bigger than those in the past, according to The Korea Times newspaper.
In South Asia, India celebrated the launch in December of the first of eight anti-submarine warfare shallow water craft. Built for the Indian Navy by Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers, the ship is named Arnala to signify the strategic maritime importance accorded to the island of Arnala by Maratha Empire warrior king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, according to The Indian Express.
The Arnala class of ships are designed for anti-submarine operations in coastal waters and low-intensity maritime operations, including subsurface surveillance in littoral waters, according to the Indian website Current Affairs.
The year also saw movement among the security partnership of Australia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. known as AUKUS. The pact is helping Australia acquire nuclear-powered submarines by providing technology and the capability to deploy the vessels.
In December, delegates from the three nations visited a private shipyard in the U.S. that builds nuclear-powered submarines and met experts to discuss the skills and technical knowledge required to manufacture nuclear-powered submarines, according to USINDOPACOM.
The visit supported Australia’s intent to develop a nuclear-powered submarine construction yard and establish an Australian workforce with the necessary skills, training and qualifications to build, operate and sustain a conventionally armed, nuclear-powered submarine, according to USINDOPACOM. AUKUS members have stressed that their agreement will not provide Australia with nuclear weapons.
“This is about investing in our greatest source of strength — our alliances,” U.S. President Joe Biden said of AUKUS, according to USINDOPACOM, “and updating them to better meet the threats of today and tomorrow.”
IMAGE CREDIT: THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
