The article was first published by Toutiao
The statements in this article are based on reliable sources and have been summarized at the end of the article
From early July to mid-August this year, Germany, France, and Spain will send 1,800 military personnel and 42 fighter planes to travel 58,000 kilometers through mountains and rivers to the United States, Japan, Hawaii, Australia, and India to participate in multinational joint military exercises.
The circumference of the equator is only 40,075 kilometers, and what is the purpose of the German and French flights around the earth? It's not so much that they're circling the Earth, it's that they're circling China.
(Luftwaffe Typhoon, Tornado and A-400M transport aircraft)
Multinational military exercises are carnival
On June 27, 2024, the US "Air Force Times" released news that Germany, France and Spain will jointly carry out an unprecedented large-scale experience with the United States.
According to US media reports, more than 40 fighters from Germany, France, and Spain will leave Europe for the Asia-Pacific region to join hands with their partners to conduct actual combat exercises, which are called "Pacific Sky 24."
In order to make this military exercise look more deterrent, NATO countries have taken out their own things at the bottom of the box. Germany's ace "Typhoon" fighters and "Tornado" bombers sent 20 in one go, in addition to four A-400 transport planes and four H-145M helicopters.
(Military aircraft of the three countries participating in this Asia-Pacific tour)
There are not many countries in the world that have fifth-generation aircraft, only China, the United States, and Russia, so the four-and-a-half-generation fighter "Typhoon" sent by Germany and jointly developed by four countries, Britain, Italy, Germany, and Spain, can already be regarded as the first echelon of fighters on the Western European continent.
France sent four Rafale and three A-400s in one go, mainly responsible for air refueling. "Rafale" is the pride of the French people, with strong flying ability and excellent combat record, and the countries that buy Rafale are all over the world.
As a participant in joint research and development, Spain naturally also sent Typhoon fighters, but their number is smaller and only four, and they also have A-400, but only one, and there is only one A-330 transport aircraft left to focus on hardware transportation.
In addition to the Swedish JAS-39 Gripen fighters, the "European Three" have all arrived, which is enough to see how much importance Germany, France and Spain attach to this military exercise.
German Tornado fighter-bomber
This scale is only one aspect, and more importantly, after the German, French and Spanish fighters left Europe, they crossed the Atlantic to join the American F-22 and F-35 in Alaska for the "Arctic Guardian" joint military exercise.
During this trip, 42 fighters did not land during the whole trip, and several countries allocated responsibilities, and German and French tankers will assume the responsibility of air refueling to ensure that the exercise formation has sufficient endurance.
German Typhoon fighters carry out in-flight refueling
The first leg of the journey was successfully completed, and the second leg of the journey went west to the western Pacific region to meet with the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and start the "Skies of Japan" joint exercise.
The third leg of the "German team" was particularly busy, the original fighter team was divided into two, and one part flew to the Hawaiian Islands to join the German Navy "RIMPAC 2024". The other part went south to Australia.
Australia's "Black Asphalt" joint military exercise is even larger, and it is said that more than 20 types of warplanes from 20 countries will participate in coordinated operations.
The J-20 fighter is ready to go
Finally, the air forces of the three countries will come to India, the last stop of the journey, and India is expected to host a large-scale joint military exercise "Tarang-Shakti" in mid-August, and the British Air Force, as a subject country of the British Commonwealth, will also support the scene.
With the smoke of gunpowder in Russia and Ukraine, and the Middle East full of wails and blood, under such a tense overall situation, the military sensitivity of various countries has obviously reached the highest, and everyone hopes to gain some sense of security by "flexing their muscles".
Carefully planned exercise routes
If you only look at the place name, it is difficult to get a real sense of the 58,000-kilometer flight route, so you might as well take a look at it in conjunction with the world map.
Alaska, USA, is located on the west coast of North America, in the boreal zone; Japan is located in the western Pacific region and has a temperate climate; Australia is located in Oceania and India is located in South Asia, enjoying tropical and subtropical climates respectively.
That is to say, in the next month and a half, the fighters of the three countries will successively conduct exercises in cold regions, tropical regions, desert areas, and conventional temperate regions, meeting a variety of training conditions at one time, which is simply very "cost-effective".
A road map for the air forces of Germany, France and Spain
On the one hand, it demonstrates its long-range delivery capabilities, and on the other hand, it reflects the importance that European countries attach to the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
Most of the countries that conducted the joint military exercise with Germany, France and Spain have some differences with China, and the route of the fighter planes is almost circular, so some Western media believe that this is also a kind of strategic deterrence by NATO countries against China.
Needless to say, the differences between Japan and the mainland are not too much to say, and in addition to the national and family hatred in the 20 th century, the territorial dispute between China and Japan over the waters off the Diaoyu Islands is also a hot topic of public opinion.
India has always had extraordinary ambitions for territorial expansion, and on June 18, 2017, Indian border guards even crossed the Sino-Indian border line in Sikkim and invaded Chinese territory, intruding on the normal patrol activities of Chinese border guards.
The two sides confronted each other in the Doklam area, and Western countries performed on the stage of international public opinion, and the whole farce lasted for more than two months before it came to an end.
On June 15, 2020, the Indian military openly violated the border consensus reached with the mainland and invaded the territory of the mainland. In the face of the huge disparity between the enemy and us, a total of four of our soldiers sacrificed their lives for the country, and a total of 20 enemies were killed.
Unlike Japan and India, Australia has no border conflicts with the mainland, and trade between the two countries was very frequent in the early years, but it is a pity that Australia is determined to be a supporter of the United States, and even sacrifices itself to defend American interests.
It can be seen that the epic military exercise "Xiangzhuang Sword Dance, intended for Pei Gong".
China has always taken a firm position
The Luftwaffe chief of staff said in an interview that they hope that through the "Pacific Sky 24" joint military exercise, the world will see that Europe attaches great importance to the Asia-Pacific region. Who does the "world" refer to in these populations?
Under the hype of the Western media, there are always people who are eyeing the treasures of East Asia, and some countries have even openly stated that they are willing to send troops to the Asia-Pacific region if the situation is turbulent.
The cake is already so big, and NATO countries, which are accustomed to carving up and trading, are naturally reluctant to see the benefits in their mouths become less.
In recent years, warships from Europe have often patrolled back and forth in the Asia-Pacific region under the guise of maintaining unimpeded trade routes.
The small countries in Southeast Asia are full of "vitality" under their instigation, and the Western countries led by the United States have repeatedly supported them, hoping that they will stand in the face of China and provoke them.
We must be mindful of the potential threats posed by other countries, but there is no need to be too nervous.
China's hard power will not increase or decrease because of "flexing muscles", and the mainland's stance will not be shaken by the provocative actions of others.
We want a "peaceful" solution to international disputes, and we want saber-rattling to be seen only at the negotiating table.
Under the current changing situation, countries have ignored the tense situation in Russia, Ukraine, the Middle East, and Southeast Asia, and insisted on "flexing their muscles" in the Asia-Pacific region, which will only make the already tense international situation even more tense.
Facts tell us that the Cold War mentality is not advisable, and if we want to truly embark on the highway of development, we must all countries work together to promote a community with a shared future for mankind. It is hoped that all parties concerned will remain calm and exercise restraint and resolve the issue through more rational channels.
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Resources:
"The new commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Headquarters clamours for war in the Taiwan Strait, and the United States will deploy unmanned equipment to turn the Taiwan Strait into a "no man's hell", China Taiwan Network Co., Ltd
What will NATO's largest post-Cold War military exercise bring to Europe? Beijing Daily
"NATO's "Big Show of Muscles" Deteriorates Regional Situation", Jiefangjun Daily