In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, May 11th
Uncertainty in Iraq, Milestones in Chinese military aviation, and the strengthening of alliances in SE Asia
Lockheed Martin Evacuates Staff Due to Militia Threats
Iraq’s fleet of F-16 fighter jets have been left grounded as Lockheed Martin announces a pullout of all maintenance crew due to concerns for their safety. The decision came after repeated rocket attacks were directed at the Balad Air Base, and is a glaring sign that militia groups remain a credible threat in the country even eighteen years after the initial U.S. occupation of Iraq.
“In coordination with the U.S. government and with employee safety as our top priority, Lockheed Martin is relocating our Iraq-based F-16 team,” Joseph LaMarca Jr., a company vice president for communications, said in a statement. He went on to say that “We value our partnership with the Iraqi Air Force and will continue to work with the Iraq and U.S. governments to ensure mission success going forward.”
The lack of maintenance crews for the F-16 is sure to dimish the ability of the Iraqi Air Force to fly sorties, and casts doubt on Iraq’s capacity to fight Islamic State militants without substantial U.S. help. Worse still, this comes at a time when Prime Minister Kadhimi is under immense pressure to negotiate a withdrawal of all American forces.
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China Fields First J-10C Fighter Jet with Indigenous Engine
Images have surfaced of a Chinese J-10C jet powered by a domestically made WS-10 engine. The appearence of a J-10C fighter with an indigenous engine at an airshow is an indicator that the engine has satisfied the various test parameters of the PLAAF.
China has had difficulties with the design and manufacture of domestic fighter engines over the past decade. While the WS-10B engine has been used to power the twin-engine Shenyang J-11 and J-16 jets since around 2010, the country has continued to rely on imported Russian AL-31 engines to power the Shenyang J-15 fighter and earlier batches of J-10.
The confirmation of J-10s powered by an indigenous engine represents a key milestone for China’s aviation industry, and it suggests China is now largely satisfied by the performance and reliability of the WS-10B engine. China has been conducting intensive tests on the J-10 since at least 2011, with the engine having been previously spotted on the J-10B and J-10C variants belonging to the Chengdu Aircraft Industry Group.
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The US-ROK Alliance Amidst Competition with China
If there is one longstaning ally of the United States that may feel most uncomfortable with the current trajectory of U.S.-China relations, it is the Republic of Korea (ROK). In the current context of U.S.-China competition, Washington’s adverserial stance towards China and the strategic preferences this position creates are at odds with Seoul’s search for greater autonomy.
The U.S. presence in ROK has never been exclusively about the Korean Peninsula. Instead, it’s just one node within a wider strategic outlook. While the immediate intersection of interests between the allies is in deterring and defending against Pyongyang, U.S. policymakers have long conceived of its forces stationed there and the U.S.-ROK alliance within a larger framework. This enduring fact has run through U.S. discourse and strategic planning since World War II and continues today.
U.S. and South Korean policymakers have generally understood and agreed on this. However, at times it has caused very real tensions in the alliance. If left unattended, misunderstanding about this basic fact may cause greater friction. If approached constructively however, it could serve both countries’ interests going forward.
It is within this context that the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) has published a report with recommendations for strengthening the U.S.-ROK alliance. As per the report, “a U.S.-ROK alliance that maximizes its vast potential on the peninsula, in the region, and in the world will help to form the core of multiple coalitions of countries that share the conviction that an open, rules-based order presents the most reliable and effective pathway toward regional and global peace and prosperity for the decades to come.“
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