US: NDA (Military Budget) act seeks fighter jet training detachment for India, Japan, Australia in Guam

The Indian Express ^ | June 26, 2020 | PTI | Washington

[BeauBo]

With an eye on the aggressive Chinese behaviour, the National Defense Authorization Act for the fiscal 2021 has sought fighter jet training detachment for India, Japan and Australia in the US Pacific territory of Guam.

The move comes six months after the US Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen signed a memorandum of understanding for Singapore to set up a fighter jet training detachment in Guam.

The text of NDAA 2021, for the fiscal year beginning October 1, was introduced in the Senate on Thursday...

Among other things, the bill establishes the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, which will focus resources on the Indo-Pacific – addressing key military capability gaps, reassuring US allies and partners, and bolstering the credibility of the United States, said Senator Jim Inhofe, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee...

The bill proposes procurement of 48 Long Range Anti-Ship Missiles (LRASMs), which it said will be especially useful in the Indo-Pacific, which the Department of Defense has named its priority theatre.

The LRASM provides a near-term capability enhancement that will allow the carrier air wing to contribute to blunting a Chinese offensive earlier in conflict, thereby directly advancing the objectives and priorities laid out in the National Defense Strategy.

NDAA also seeks acceleration in the American effort to establish an F-35A operating locations forward in the Indo-pacific region. To date, the Air Force has announced the selection of nine operating locations for the F-35A, including locations in the US, Alaska, and Europe.

It has yet to announce plans for any F-35A operating locations forward in the Indo-Pacific region.

[BeauBo]

Sounds like India is seriously in the running for getting the F-35, which would likely reverse their historical inferiority to Pakistan and China in the air.

Also, longer range weapons will be starting to flow into the region, capable of deterring or defeating China. Here they mention that 48 Long Range Anti-Ship Misiles (delivered by aircraft, including those flown off carriers, maybe something else that India is interested in).

But a whole variety of longer range weapons will be flowing to our forces and allies in the region, especially now that we have withdrawn from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. From land, sea (surface and submarine) and air; we are preparing to deploy new or enhanced range weapons that will flip the Anti-Access/Area Denial script on China.

[Dundee]

The west is critically deficient in long range weaponry of all kinds. There needs to be serious development in much longer range weapons as as it stands at the moment western ships and aircraft have to be deep inside the enemy’s engagement envelope before getting into range to launch their own weapons.