increase defense spending to strengthen force building, establish a "water fleet" to replace the original "escort fleet" - what is the purpose of the large-scale reorganization of the japanese maritime self-defense force?
2024-09-26
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increase defense spending to strengthen force building, establish a "water fleet" to replace the original "escort fleet" -
what is the purpose of japan's maritime self-defense force's large-scale reorganization?
■wang hengwen
the japan maritime self-defense force's izumo (front) and ships from australia and other countries recently conducted joint training near the coast of japan.
a u.s. marine corps f-35b fighter jet conducts takeoff and landing tests on the izumo.
the japanese ministry of defense recently announced that the maritime self-defense force will soon implement the most powerful organizational adjustment in history to "more effectively integrate existing main battleships." analysts believe that japan's real intention is to build a new combat system and enhance long-range combat capabilities. neighboring countries must be highly vigilant about this.
comprehensive implementation of adjustment and reconstruction
the japan maritime self-defense force is currently composed of the self-defense fleet, the "local deployment force", the educational aviation group and the training fleet. the self-defense fleet is the main force of the maritime self-defense force, and it has under its jurisdiction the "escort fleet" which includes the main surface combat ships, the aviation group, the submarine fleet, the minesweeper group, the fleet intelligence group and other direct units. the "escort fleet" currently has four escort groups, each of which has two escort teams, a helicopter destroyer team responsible for anti-submarine operations, and an air defense destroyer team responsible for sea-based anti-missile and air defense.
in 2005, the maritime self-defense force carried out a major reorganization. each escort group was no longer responsible for combat command, but became an administrative unit responsible for management, training and logistics support. the two subordinate escort groups were deployed in a dispersed manner and no longer concentrated in one place. this put forward higher requirements for the command and operation, coordinated operations, training level and logistics support of the maritime self-defense force, and also increased its flexibility in intervening in hot events in the surrounding areas.
according to the new adjustment plan, the maritime self-defense force will incorporate all main surface warships into the newly established "surface fleet", mainly organized into "surface combat groups", "patrol and warning groups" and "amphibious and minesweeping combat groups". among them, three "surface combat groups" will be reorganized based on four escort groups; one "patrol and warning group" will replace the "missile boat team" under the original "local deployment force"; one "amphibious and minesweeping combat group" will be composed of the minesweeper group and the minesweeping, transportation and amphibious forces of the "local deployment force".
at the same time, the original maritime self-defense force system communication team group, the fleet intelligence group, marine business and submarine support group under the self-defense fleet, and the local team's guard post and other intelligence warfare functional units will be integrated into an "intelligence combat group" of the same level as the "surface fleet", with "combat intelligence brigade" and "network defense brigade" under it. all reorganization plans are to be completed in march 2026, when the long-used designations such as "escort fleet" and "escort group" will disappear.
the reorganization plan has a clear direction
the focus of the reorganization of the japan maritime self-defense force this time is the "escort fleet", and it widely involves multiple units such as minesweeper groups and "local deployment forces", and the intention is obvious.
first, integrate the main combat forces and strengthen the front-line strength. according to the performance, use and combat responsibilities of the ships, merge and reorganize the more dispersed professional forces to seek more efficient and flexible use of the troops. as the ministry of defense announced, the three "surface combat groups" will each have a helicopter destroyer, and the types and numbers of other ships will also increase compared to the original escort group, so as to ensure that more warships are rotated, trained and maintained, and to carry out higher-level joint and coordinated operations. the "patrol and guard group" is mainly responsible for the peacetime surveillance and monitoring tasks of the maritime self-defense force bases and the waters around japan. it can also be used to assist in responding to long-term operations, and it can also ensure that the "surface combat group" as the main force focuses on training.
secondly, enrich the aircraft carrier formation and carry out ocean-going attacks. the two 20,000-ton "izumo" class helicopter destroyers have initially completed the transformation into light aircraft carriers and can carry vertical take-off and landing f-35b fighter jets. they and a "hyuga" class helicopter destroyer will serve as the flagships of three "surface combat groups" respectively, leading the formation of light aircraft carrier formations to carry out offensive air control, sea control or island capture tasks, and fill the "window period" of the aircraft carrier formation of the us military in the asia-pacific region. another "hyuga" class helicopter destroyer and some surface ships will be included in the "amphibious and minesweeping combat group", so that in addition to performing the "main" tasks of amphibious operations and minesweeping operations, they can also be "upgraded" to helicopter carrier combat formations.
third, consolidate the original "advantages" and make up for the shortcomings in capabilities. the key subjects of the current joint exercises between the united states and japan, such as three-dimensional minesweeping, amphibious landing and maritime transportation, will become the responsibilities of the newly established "amphibious and mine sweeping combat group", so that it can maintain its traditional "strength" of minesweeping while "taking the lead" in amphibious and transportation, two areas that the maritime self-defense force has focused on in recent years in order to "prepare for war in the southwest direction". the new "intelligence operations group" absorbs multiple types of intelligence reconnaissance and analysis forces such as hydrology, acoustics and electromagnetics, which will enhance the joint combat capabilities of the maritime self-defense force in the field of intelligence warfare.
the militaristic plot is increasingly exposed
as early as may this year, the japanese senate passed the "amendment to the law on the establishment of the ministry of defense", approving the ministry of defense to establish a permanent organization "unified operations command" to unify the command of the army, navy and air self-defense forces, forming a unified joint operations command system. the purpose of this round of reorganization of the japan maritime self-defense force is to strengthen its maritime combat capabilities and adapt to the requirements of the new joint operations command system, which fully reflects japan's dangerous plot to expand its military and accelerate its progress towards becoming a "military power".
the establishment system will be more revolutionary. this reorganization is just the prelude to the "largest reform in history" of the japan maritime self-defense force. according to the conception of the "three security documents" issued in 2022 and some media reports, the maritime self-defense force plans to reorganize the "surface fleet" into a new system of 6 groups and 21 escort teams within 10 years, and the number of destroyers and frigates will increase to 54. in order to adapt to the development trend of science and technology, the maritime self-defense force continues to invest in the construction of highly automated and intelligent destroyers and frigates to continuously increase the "surface combat group". the maritime self-defense force also attaches great importance to the integration of forces in the field of intelligence warfare, attempting to intervene in surrounding hot spots and conflicts through intelligence support. after the reorganization of the "amphibious and minesweeping combat group", it is likely to be a large mixed amphibious fleet with helicopter carriers, transport ships carrying air-cushion landing craft, and several destroyers and frigates, and minesweepers, which will significantly enhance its sea control and force projection capabilities.
the troops and weapons will be more offensive. in recent years, japan's defense budget has hit new highs. the maritime self-defense force is an important investment direction for japan's defense expenditure, and its force construction will be significantly strengthened. in the total defense budget of us$59.1 billion for fiscal year 2025, the maritime self-defense force got a considerable share of the "cake": about us$2.2 billion was used to build three new multi-purpose frigates with a standard displacement of 4,800 tons; about us$560 million was used to develop and test two new "aegis" system-carrying ships; about us$210 million was used to develop a submarine vertical launch system; about us$132 million was used to develop a ship-borne high-power laser system that can strike "small threat sources" such as drones. these cutting-edge weapons and equipment will become an organic part of the maritime self-defense force's new combat system, making the "escort" label on its organization table disappear in name only.
the military linkage between the united states and japan will be more comprehensive. promoting the integration of command with the us military stationed in japan is the current reform direction of the japan self-defense force. the reorganization of the maritime self-defense force is only the beginning of this process, and the land and air self-defense forces will gradually carry out similar reorganizations. ultimately, in terms of the command system, the transformation of the us military headquarters in japan, the establishment of the japan self-defense forces' "united operations command" and the connection between the two will be completed; in terms of force composition, the strengthening and reorganization of the land, sea and air self-defense forces will be completed. the united states uses japan to make up for the military gap in its implementation of the "great power competition" strategy, and japan uses the united states to move towards comprehensive "re-armament". regional and even global peace and security are facing severe challenges.
the photos in this edition are all data pictures
(source: china military network-liberation army daily)