Highlights
– US claims the unarmed naval vessel was provoked and harassed
– China claims the ships operations were illegal
– Incident constitutes test for new Obama administration
On March 8, 2009, five Chinese vessels – one a naval intelligence ship – surrounded the United States Naval Ship Impeccable in what appears to have been an attempt to harass and disrupt the ship’s oceanographic and intelligence surveying operations.
The Impeccable was not damaged, but the surrounding vessels made a number of attempts to disrupt the ships activities, going so far as to attempt to hook the sonar equipment trolling behind it.
The episode, one of many against the Impeccable, and its sister ship Victorious, in the past several weeks, is both a test of a new American administration as well a demonstration of that administration’s willingness to confront the test. Alongside North Korean threats of a missile-launch and Russia’s unwavering position on Iran, President Obama appears to be facing a number of moves by other countries that are intended to gauge his mettle in international affairs.
Intelligence Operations Meet
According to the Pentagon, a Chinese naval-intelligence gathering ship, a Bureau of Maritime Fisheries Patrol Vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel, and two small Chinese fishing trawlers were all involved in the weekend incident.
As the ships began to encircle the Impeccable 75 miles south of China’s Yulin Naval Base, the ship radioed requesting a safe path to leave the area. Instead, the Impeccable was forced to an emergency stop by vessels crossing its bow and obstructions dropped in its path. As the event progressed, the surrounding ships moved closer to the civilian-manned US naval vessel to the point that the ship’s crew responded by firing a water canon – the ship’s only defensive measure – at the approaching ships. The crew of one Chinese vessel removed their clothing to moon the American ship.
The Impeccable’s mission is to use its passive and active low frequency sonar arrays to detect and track submarines. The Impeccable works directly with the Navy’s fleets, and in 2007 operated with the three-carrier strike battle group in the Valiant Shield 07 exercise in the Western Pacific. Sailing 75 miles off of Hainan Island, the home of China’s Yulin Naval Base where it operates new nuclear attack and ballistic missile submarines, suggests the Impeccable was conducting data collection on the submarines and seafloor to improve its ability to detect submarines in peacetime and more efficiently hunt them in case of war.
Harassment Just One Episode of Many
According to US officials, the incident on Sunday came after days of “increasingly aggressive” acts by various Chinese ships. In addition to having targeted the Impeccable on two other occasions, Chinese ships also harassed the USNS Victorious.
• On March 4, 2009, a Chinese Bureau of Fisheries Patrol vessel directed a high-intensity spotlight at the ocean surveillance ship the USNS Victorious while patrolling in the Yellow Sea. The following day, a Chinese surveillance aircraft conducted twelve ‘fly-bys’ of the ship.
• On March 5, 2009, a Chinese frigate twice crossed through the Impeccable’s path travel path, approaching within 100 yards of the ship each time. Afterwards, a Chinese surveillance plane conducted eleven ‘fly-bys’ of the ship.
• On March 7, 2009, a Chinese naval intelligence ship threatened the Impeccable over bridge-to-bridge radio chatter, telling the ship that its conduct was illegal and that it would “suffer the consequences” if it did not leave the area.
While such naval incidents are common, the frequency of the latest maneuvers heighten tensions between Beijing and Washington, just as the two country’s military have resumed high-level talks after their five-month suspension following a US$6.5 billion arms sale to Taiwan. The incident is a test for those in the Obama administration who want to ease the military pressure on US-Chinese relations. Such confrontations ease arguments by hardliners in both China and the US on the need for military balance.
Before this incident can be classified as an act of aggression, we must determine at what level of the Chinese government the decision was made to harass the Impeccable in international waters. An assessment also needs to know the exact mission of the US ship. Until those answers are found, this event may range from a simple mis-understanding to a blatant attempt to intimidate and expel a foreign vessel from open water.
Obama Administration Test
Aggressive maneuvering, or harassment, of ships and aircraft operating in the waters and skies largely occupied by rival militaries is common. Such attacks are unlikely to stop in the medium to long-term, as competing militaries regularly attempt to antagonize ships and aircraft that operate in what they perceive are their territory.
With North Korea antagonizing its southern neighbor over its future missile test and Russia stating that the US’s willingness to readdress the missile shield in Eastern Europe will have no impact on the Iranian nuclear issue, the naval incidents with China represent the latest attempts by foreign governments to better gauge President Obama’s ability to handle aggressive tactics.
Having taken a more mollifying-posture towards international engagements during his campaign for president, the international community appears to be challenging the United States both militarily and politically as a means to more acutely identify the current administration’s strengths and weaknesses. We assess the administration’s public posture on this incident shows that it will not shy away from such challenges. Should President Obama fail to respond to similar incidents with North Korea, Russia, Iran and China, other countries may judge the new President to be more pliable than his predecessor.
