Category Archives: ASEAN

“How a new Vietnam-Indonesia deal will affect South China Sea disputes” –Defense News

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Defense News reports that Vietnam and Indonesia have agreed on demarcation of their respective EEZs where they had previously been in dispute.

Peaceful settlement of conflicting SE Asian nation claims would go a long way toward presenting a united front against China’s expansive 9 Dash Line claims and clarify IUU fisheries enforcement.

“Practically, the successful Indonesia-Vietnam EEZ [exclusive economic zone] demarcation will help both countries to resolve illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, which has been a serious bilateral irritant and a broader issue involving third-party countries, including China and Thailand,” according to Bich Tran, a visiting fellow writing in the Fulcrum, a publication of the ISEAS—Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore.

Upgrades to the Philippine WHECs

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BRP Ramon Alcaraz (former USCGC Dallas) equipped with new Sea Giraffe multi-mode radar in Cebu.

NavyRecognition reports, “China Coast Guard try to intercept Philippine Navy’s BRP Andres Bonifacio.” We talked about this incident earlier, but this report also includes information about the upgrades to the former US Coast Guard cutter. We did talk about upgrades earlier, but this has more specifics, particularly in regard to the sonar. All three of the Philippines’ former cutters are being upgraded.

The OPV is equipped with various sensors and processing systems, including the Naval Shield Baseline 2 Integrated Combat Management System, a Saab AB AN/SPS-77 Sea Giraffe AMB 3D air/surface search radar, a Furuno FAR3220BB 25KW X-band navigational radar, a Sperry Mk 92 Mod 1 Fire Control System, and an ELAC Hunter 2.0 hull-mounted sonar.

BRP Andres Bonifacio is armed with a Mk 75 Oto Melara 76mm Compact gun, two Mk 38 25mm autocannons, six M2HB Browning .50 caliber guns, and two USN-Mark 36 SRBOC (Super Rapid Blooming Offboard Countermeasures) mortar-type launching systems.

The combat management system, AN/SPS-77, sonar, and 25mm Mk38 Mod2/3s are all upgrades since the hand-over. I also found some additional information, that also mentioned Radar Electronic Support Measure (R-ESM), a new Identification Friend or Foe (IFF), and the SeaFLIR 230 electro-optical/infra-red (EO/IR) system.

The AN/SPS-77 is also used on Independence class LCS and will equip the US Coast Guard Offshore Patrol Cutter.

The sonar is by a German company and offers mine avoidance and torpedo detection as well as passive and active submarine and UUV detection capabilities. We don’t know which of the various sized transducers associated with this system was chosen. Transducers of 4 kHz to 30 kHz are available that span the range from low frequency long range systems to relatively short ranged high frequency systems. A medium frequency seems most likely.

Some of these upgrades, particularly the multimode radar, support helicopter operations. The Philippine Navy currently has two AW159 Wildcat helicopters with significant ASW and anti-surface capability. So far these are the only Philippine aircraft with an ASW capability and they may be based on other Philippine Navy warships.

The upgrades were done in South Korea. The Philippine military seems to have developed a relationship with South Korea. The Philippine Navy has purchased two 2600 ton light frigates from S. Korea and has contracts out for two 3200 ton corvettes and six 2400 ton 94.4 meter Offshore Patrol Vessels.

The three Philippine ships are probably now the best equipped of the 12 former US Coast Guard 378s currently serving in five different navies and coast guards, but there are still some desirable possible additions, including anti-ship cruise missiles (ASCM), close in weapon systems (CIWS), light weight ASW torpedoes, and towed array sonars.

 

“FACT SHEET: U.S.-ASEAN Special Summit in Washington, DC” –The White House, May 12, 2022

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Indonesian Maritime Security Agency vessel KN Tanjung Datu, left, sails alongside U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton during joint exercises in the Singapore Strait in August 2019. IMAGE CREDIT: PO1 LEVI READ/USCG

Below is an excerpt from a May 12, 2022 White House Fact Sheet. Notably there is some significant new tasking for the Coast Guard here.

Here is a link to the “ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’s Maritime Pillar” referred to in the excerpt. See particularly V. Areas of Cooperation, Maritime Cooperation, paragraphs 14 and 15 on page 3.

Presumably, this is being implemented, at least in part, as a result of NOAA’s “National Five Year Strategy for Combating Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (2022-2026) which designated Vietnam as one of five “Priority States.”

EXPANDING MARITIME COOPERATION

The United States is committed to supporting implementation of the ASEAN Outlook on the Indo-Pacific’s Maritime Pillar. Today we are announcing $60 million in new regional maritime initiatives, most of which will be led by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

  • Personnel and Presence: The USCG will deploy assets and assign additional personnel to the Indo-Pacific to help meet partners’ requests for maritime training and capacity-building, to include a USCG attaché at the U.S. Mission to ASEAN.
  • Countering Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing: The Department of State, Department of Labor, and USCG will launch new initiatives to help ASEAN counties counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and strengthen the capacity of ASEAN sectoral bodies to prevent forced labor in the fishing industry.
  • Indo-Pacific Support Platform: The USCG will deploy a cutter to Southeast Asia and Oceania for security cooperation and to operate as a training platform. This cutter will deploy throughout the region providing multinational crewing opportunities, conduct training missions, and participate in cooperative maritime engagements.
  • Excess Defense Articles: As USCG decommissions cutters, the service will prioritize the transfer of ships to Southeast Asian countries to increase the coastal nations’ maritime law enforcement capacity and promote a free and open Pacific.
  • Southeast Asia Training Team: The Department of State and USCG will expand USCG support to maritime law enforcement agencies in Southeast Asia by placing a training team in the region for the first time with additional dedicated support from U.S.-based trainers. These technical experts will provide capacity-building for the regional partners’ maritime law enforcement agencies in the areas of institutional development, readiness, sustainment of equipment, and workforce professionalization.
  • Emergency Training: The USCG and the Department of State will provide new trainings on energy safeguards, protection of critical maritime infrastructure, and all-hazards response.

“Indonesia stands up to PRC’s aggressive moves in South China Sea” –Indo-Pacific Defense Forum

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A China Coast Guard ship is seen from an Indonesian naval vessel during a patrol north of Indonesia’s Natuna islands. (Antara Foto via Reuters)

Indo-Pacific Defense Forum reports,

“Indonesia has successfully defended its sovereignty off the northwest coast of the island of Borneo by standing up to aggressive incursions by the People’s Republic of China (PRC), which maintains that its widely dismissed territorial claim in the South China Sea gives it authority to enter the area unimpeded.”

Indonesia is demonstrating it is possible to resist China’s bullying without starting a war.

“Indonesia spearheading regional cooperation in South China Sea” –Indo-Pacific Defense Forum

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Indonesian Maritime Security Agency vessel KN Tanjung Datu, left, sails alongside U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stratton during joint exercises in the Singapore Strait in August 2019. IMAGE CREDIT: PO1 LEVI READ, USCG

The Indo-Pacific Defense Forum reports,

Indonesia is reaching out to its South China Sea neighbors to foster harmony on maritime sovereignty issues and enhance cooperation among regional coast guards, analysts say. The nation engaged closely with Vietnam in late 2021 and plans to add five countries to the collaborative effort in 2022.

It appears Indonesia is working with its SE Asian neighbors to resolve their bilateral maritime territorial disputes based on UNCLOS and develop multi-lateral agreement.

This would allow the ASEAN nations to present a united front, to push back against China’s expansive claims. It might even lead to something like my proposed Combined Maritime Security Task Force.

“First Images Of New Inlay Class Warship For Myanmar Navy” –Covert Shores

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Myanmar UMS Inlay (54), 12 March 2018, Indian Navy Photo

Covert Shores reports sighting of a second Inlay class, a locally built offshore patrol vessel. This prompted a look at this class and the Myanmar Navy, which turns out to be surprisingly strong, with an apparently capable domestic shipbuilding capability.

Myanmar seems to have been in the news a lot lately, and it has not been “good news.” Like many other nations in Asia, particularly SE Asia, they have been building Offshore Patrol Vessels. Reportedly the Myanmar Coast Guard was established only months ago, in Oct. 2021, but it appears these OPVs will serve with their Navy. Myanmar Coast Guard floating units appear to be limited to four very old patrol boats.

Reportedly these Inlay class Offshore Patrol Vessels displace 1500 tons, but I suspect that is not their full load displacement. They are similar in size to the 1.800 ton 270 foot WMECs, slightly shorter, 265’9′ (81 meters vs 82.3) and a bit broader of beam (41′ vs 38’/12.5 vs 11.6 meters). Speed is essentially the same at 20 knots. The bridge does seem surprisingly large.

Reportedly the Myanmar vessels can hangar a Eurocopter AS365 Dauphin, that is essential the same as an H-65. Also, reportedly there is a launch ramp for a RIB in the stern. There might be a boat davit on the starboard side, but I have not seen a good photo of the starboard side. There is a large opening on the starboard side superstructure aft, that mirrors the one visible on the port side.

Apparently, the weapon forward of the bridge is a Soviet era twin 57mm. The weapon might be ancient, but it is probably still very effective at short ranges.

The Myanmar Navy is more impressive than I would have expected, and many of their ships are built locally. As noted in the headline post, they just got their second submarine, one Russian built via India and now one from China. They have a 12,400 ton S. Korean built LPD. They are building their fourth domestically built frigate, to add to two overage Chinese built frigates. They have three domestically built 1,100 ton corvettes. They have twenty vessels similar in size to the Webber class but much more heavily armed, including five armed with Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, and two slightly larger, 500 ton Fast Attack Craft also armed with ASCMs. These are in addition to six older Chinese built Houxin class missile boats.

All total, they appear to have 21 surface combatants armed with Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles, primarily the Chinese made C-802, which is roughly equivalent to the US made Harpoon.

Myanmar has also begun to build 600 ton, 63 meter, high speed “sub chasers” to replace eight, now overage, Chinese built Hainan class. The new ships are equipped with the same twin 57mm mount that also equips the new OPVs.