China’s belligerent approach to regional territorial disputes has seen it banished from Western-led military exercises. This is being demonstrated in an air force exercise currently ongoing in Australia. Exercise Pitch Black 2024, held from July 12 to August 2, is the largest-ever exercise in the 43-year history of the exercise series. The exercise is conducted in every two years.
Meanwhile, Taiwan also launched Anti-China drills at a time when Xi Jinping has been calling for the “reunification” with the self-governed island.
The unprecedented scale of such exercises speaks of mounting alarm over Chinese intentions in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond.
The 20 countries contributing assets include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Thailand, the UK and USA. With 20 countries participating in Exercise Pitch Black 2024, it highlights China’s limited circle of friends.
This is notable because Exercise Black Pitch includes numerous countries that have a beef with Chinese territorial ambitions, either along its land border or in troubled maritime areas. This includes important Asian countries like India, Japan and the Philippines, for instance, with the latter getting involved in Pitch Black for the very first time.
The Indian Air Force (IAF) contingent comprises of over 150 highly skilled Air Warriors including pilots, engineers, technicians, controllers and other subject matter experts, who will be operating the formidable Su-30 MKI multirole fighters, with the C -17 Globemaster and the IL-78 Air-to-Air Refueling aircraft in combat enabling roles. The IAF has previously participated in the 2018 and 2022 editions of this exercise.
Also, the Philippine presence with four FA-50PH light fighters is important, since it has never deployed its fledgling fighter force overseas before. The Philippines’ current competition to obtain new multirole fighters is relevant again to China’s threat. It could be argued that Manila’s desire for more capable fighters, which are destined for territorial defence, is a direct response to the threat that China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) poses.
The other significant development of the 2024 edition is that the European heavyweights—France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK–as various countries on the far side of the globe express alarm at China’s stomping of international norms and regulations in places like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait, arteries through which global maritime trade passes en masse. This year, Italy and Spain were joining a Pitch Black exercise for the very first time.
Furthermore, Italy sent its aircraft carrier Cavour to the event as part of a wider five-month deployment around the Indo-Pacific region. In addition, three nations–France, Germany, and Spain–are conducting a hugely complex air force deployment called Pacific Skies. Aircraft from these three countries are progressively training in Alaska, Hawaii, Japan, Australia, and India.
Incidentally, this year is the first time that the USA dispatched F-22A Raptor fighters, the apex predators of the USAF, to Pitch Black. These fighters have flown to Australia before, but they have never formally been part of the exercise. The US is prioritising sending its most advanced aircraft to the Indo-Pacific region.
Participants have emphasised that Pitch Black scenarios are not aimed at any single country, such as China. Instead, interoperability is the key aim, as allies must know how to operate together in peacetime, in case they are ever required to fight side by side.
The prima facie objective is to enhance and strengthen international engagement and cooperation among the aerial and maritime capabilities of like-minded nations in the Indo- Pacific.
Exercise Pitch Black 2024 is a testament to the growing unity among nations concerned about regional security threats. As these countries continue to collaborate and strengthen their ties, they send a clear message of solidarity and preparedness in the face of evolving challenges.
Therefore, it is apparent that the Indo-Pacific and Trans-Pacific countries are taking prevention is better than cure approach seriously. It is better to be prepared and be capable to nip in the bud before any unanticipated eventuality takes place.
