By Olawale Abaire, Warrior Editorial Fellow
Recently, the US Naval Institute (USNI News) has reported that U.S. Navy temporarily stationed two MQ-4C Triton UAVs in Okinawa, Japan. These high-tech drones, the second of which arrived on Sunday, are set to begin intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions around Japan’s southwestern islands.
The Triton UAVs, with the first one which landed on May 20, will operate from Kadena Air Base until October. This move is part of a broader strategy to bolster the ISR capabilities of the U.S.-Japan alliance in response to the increasingly complex security environment surrounding Japan. The deployment will enhance surveillance coverage in areas where it’s most needed, particularly in Japan’s southwestern region, and will extend the duration of ISR activities in the vicinity.
This marks the third time Triton UAVs have been deployed to Japan, following the first deployment in 2021 at Misawa Air Base and the second in 2022 at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. The Tritons join eight U.S. Air Force MQ-9 Reaper drones that have been stationed at Kadena since October of the previous year. Kadena’s strategic location makes it an ideal staging ground for ISR operations, providing access to numerous potential hotspots across the Indo-Pacific region.
Japan’s concerns over the security of its islands, especially in the southwest, have been escalating. The vast expanse of water and airspace separating the majority of Japan’s islands often falls outside the 12 nautical mile territorial limit. Both Russia and China have conducted joint naval drills and bomber flights close to Japan, frequently around the southwest region. The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) routinely navigates its ships from the East China Sea to the Philippine Sea and Pacific Ocean around Japan’s southwest islands and back. PLAN carrier strike groups have also been active in the southwest region, while China continues to assert its claims on the Senkaku Islands, which are currently held by Japan.
Ret. Army Futures Command Commander Gen. John Murray
In response, Japan has been augmenting its military presence in the southwest region and conducting more drills with the U.S. This includes relocating the U.S.-Japan Iron Fist series of exercises from California to the southwest region. However, this military build-up has met with resistance from some Japanese citizens, particularly in Okinawa, necessitating the issuance of detailed public explainers.
In a separate incident, China’s Ministry of National Defense refuted a claim by the Netherlands Ministry of Defense that Chinese military aircraft and a helicopter had flown close to Royal Netherlands Navy frigate HNLMS Tromp and its embarked helicopter on Friday in the East China Sea. The Dutch frigate was patrolling the East China Sea in support of a UN multinational force enforcing maritime sanctions against North Korea.
According to a Chinese news report, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, argued that the Dutch statement distorted the facts. He claimed that the Dutch frigate’s helicopter had infringed upon and provoked the situation east of Shanghai, prompting the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to issue voice warnings and dispatch fighter jets to force the helicopter to leave.
