In Geopolitics Today - Monday, May 23rd
Ukraine to Receive Harpoon Anti-ship Launcher and Missiles, Iran and Oman to Jointly Develop Oil Field, The Philippines Bolsters Military Presence in the South China Sea
Ukraine to Receive Harpoon Anti-ship Launcher and Missiles
Denmark will be sending long-range RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles to Ukraine. Following discussions with an international coalition of states assisting Ukraine, the US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin announced Washington's efforts to secure the transfer of Harpoon anti-ship missiles to Ukraine. While Austin did not specify the type and number of Harpoons transferred, the Danish military’s coastal anti-ship missile batteries currently field the RGM-84L-4 Harpoon Block IIs.
After achieving early successes in the Black Sea at the start of the war with Ukraine, the Russian Navy has recently been blunted and has maintained a distance from Ukraine's coastal defences. Nevertheless, the Russian Navy has managed to maintain a blockade around Odessa, restricting Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea. This blockade has led to a halt in Ukrainian trade and a drastic reduction in revenues. Ukrainian forces have been requesting Harpoons as they seek to break the blockade of Odesa’s port and the ongoing harassment from sea-based missiles. Depending on where Ukrainian forces base the coastal battery, the missiles could extend the range Ukrainian Navy could target the Russian Navy’s Black Sea ships. The missiles could also threaten the logistics hub for the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, making it more difficult for Russia to rearm after missile strikes on land targets in Ukraine.
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Iran and Oman to Jointly Develop Oil Field
Iran and Oman have agreed to form a committee which will oversee the joint development of the Hengam oilfield. The Hengam oilfield is located in waters between Iran and Oman, and the two countries have agreed a number of deals which will see the the Hengam oil field development in the Persian Gulf move forward. Agreements between the two countries were signed on the Iranian president's visit to Muscat, and is a part of broader Iranian efforts to strengthen cooperation with neighbouring countries.
In 2005, Iran and Oman signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop the Hengam oil field. However, the project ran into issues and progress stalled before Iran decided to develop the project independently in 2012. President Raisi's visit to Oman is the first meeting between high-level leadership since the new Omani Sultan took power in January 2020. The 12 cooperation documents signed promise “joint exploitation” rather than “competitive exploitation” between the two countries, and outline mutually beneficial ways both countries will cooperate on oil exploration projects in the Persian Gulf moving forward.
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The Philippines Bolsters Military Presence in the South China Sea
The Philippines has expanded its reach by establishing coast guard outposts on a number of contested islands in the South China Sea. The move increases the scale of the Filipino military presence on three islands in the hotly contested Spratly archipelago and raises tensions in a contested region. The Philippines considers much of the Spratly archipelago as part of its western Palawan province, though this is disputed by other powers in the region.
The outposts will help guide friendly vessels at night and allow the armed forces of the Philippines to more effectively police the waters surrounding the islands. In a bid to prevent future oil exploration ventures, the surrounding waters are to be branded as “special protected zones” where unsanctioned mining and oil exploration are prohibited. The Spratly archipelago, together with other islands across the South China Sea, are a potential flashpoint in Asia due to a number of overlapping territorial claims here. Outside of the Philippines, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei all possess overlapping territorial claims in the South China Sea.
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