Three U.S.-Japan exercises close in, China and Russia decide not to return after training—immediately heading straight into the Pacific Ocean

Starting June 24, the United States hosted a large-scale "RIMPAC" military exercise involving 31 countries in Hawaii. This wasn’t all—within the same month, the U.S. and Japan conducted two additional exercises: “Keen Sword” and “Tough Dragon,” one in Hawaii and the other in Japan. Together, these three exercises tightly encircle the first island chain and the central Pacific region. RIMPAC alone deployed over 32 surface warships, five submarines, more than 140 aircraft, and around 25,000 personnel.

Who exactly is being encircled? Anyone with eyes can see. And China and Russia’s response was equally clear.

On July 5, Russia’s Pacific Fleet dispatched its missile cruiser *Varyag*, frigate *Goryachy*, and submarine *Ufa* to Qingdao. There, they met up with China’s main naval vessels—the Type 055 destroyer *Anshan*, Type 052D destroyer *Kaifeng*, and Type 054A frigate *Wuhu*.

On July 6, the joint exercises officially began. But what’s interesting comes afterward. According to an official statement from the Ministry of Defense: “After the joint exercises conclude, both sides will dispatch part of their forces to conduct maritime joint patrols in relevant areas of the Pacific Ocean.”

In short: After finishing the exercises, China and Russia won’t go home—they’ll head straight into the Pacific Ocean.

Previously, joint exercises between China and Russia ended once training concluded. But since last year, they’ve begun conducting follow-up patrols after exercises—and this year, they’re doing it again, indicating this practice has now become routine.

The U.S. and Japan have launched three exercises aiming to seal off the first island chain. However, after training in Qingdao, the Chinese-Russian fleet directly passed through the island chain, heading out into the Pacific for a mission.

Moreover, the exercise agenda this time differs from previous years. In addition to standard tasks like joint reconnaissance, air defense and anti-missile operations, and anti-ship strikes, this year’s drills included “actual weapon use training.”

“Actual weapon use training” means real combat—using real ammunition. In past Sino-Russian military exercises, most were simulated engagements: firing blank cartridges without live warheads. This type of training is different: anti-ship missiles are fitted with real warheads, torpedoes filled with actual explosives. Once launched, they target designated targets in predetermined waters. A hit results in explosion, flooding, and sinking; a miss means failure.

Modern naval warfare fears misfires most. When your missile flies, my aircraft is in the sky—radar signals mix together. If identification systems aren’t interoperable, your missile might accidentally shoot down my plane. To avoid such incidents, both sides must fully share core data: friendly ID codes, radar frequencies, missile flight parameters, target allocation logic—all of which are top-secret military information, worth far more than any weapons blueprints. The fact that China and Russia dare to do this proves their mutual trust goes beyond mere diplomatic pleasantries—it’s genuine back-to-back cooperation.

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1869957123574791/

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author.