US to continue FONOP drumbeat in South China Sea
Whilst on a flight to Hawaii on 29 May for a Pacific Command (PACOM) change-of-command ceremony, US Defence Secretary James Mattis commented to media on US freedom of navigation operations (FONOP) in the South China Sea.
The most recent FONOP saw a pair of USN warships sail past Chinese-occupied features in the Paracel Islands on 27 May. Having two ships simultaneously perform a FONOP was unprecedented for the USN, and it could be construed as the US upping the ante in the South China Sea in response to growing provocative moves by the People’s Liberation Army (PLA).
According to the
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