The Americans have mobilised 10,000 troops for a joint exercise with the Japanese Navy in what appears to be a clear message to Beijing.

The exercise is reportedly taking place “in the Philippine Sea in the vicinity of Luzon Strait, and the Miyako Strait”, the US Navy said in a statement obtained by Newsflash.

The exercise, which reportedly involved the United States mobilising over 10,000 military personnel, is called Noble Fusion and reportedly combines “multiple elements of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force alongside the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force”.

Colonel Michael Brennan is quoted as saying in the statement: “Integrating the elements of the dual-MEU/ARG team with the power of the carrier strike group, joint elements and our Japanese counterparts in a distributed operation demonstrates our ability to command and control lethal forces in contested areas, create strategic advantage and integrated deterrence.”

He added: “Our sea-denial operations with naval expeditionary integration and littoral allies prepare us to counter potential adversarial aggressive actions in the First Island Chain.”

The Pentagon appears to be keen to emphasise the exercise, with the US Navy sharing no less than three different videos of the training exercise in the last couple of days.

The first piece of footage shows F-35 fighter jets participating in the exercise in the Philippine Sea. The footage shows one of the planes taking off from the USS America aircraft carrier. The footage then shows one of the fighter planes landing vertically on the deck of the vessel.

The US Navy said: “Noble Fusion demonstrates that Navy and Marine Corps forward-deployed stand-in naval expeditionary forces can rapidly aggregate Marine Expeditionary Unit/Amphibious Ready Group teams at sea, along with a carrier strike group, as well as other joint force elements and allies, in order to conduct lethal sea-denial operations, seize key maritime terrain, guarantee freedom of movement, and create an advantage for U.S., partner and allied forces.

“Naval Expeditionary forces conduct training throughout the year, in the Indo-Pacific, to maintain readiness.”

The second piece of footage shows a large hovercraft for carrying vehicles being deployed at sea before it presumably made its way to shore.

The US Navy said: “Ships of the America and Essex Amphibious Ready Groups, and Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group, sail in formation with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force during exercise Noble Fusion Feb. 7, 2022.

“Noble Fusion highlights that Navy and Marine Corps forward-deployed stand-in naval expeditionary forces can rapidly aggregate Marine Expeditionary Unit/Amphibious Ready Group teams at sea, along with a carrier strike group, as well as other joint force elements and allies, in order to conduct lethal sea-denial training, seize key maritime terrain, guarantee freedom of movement, and create an advantage for US, partner and allied forces.

“Naval Expeditionary forces conduct training throughout the year, in the Indo-Pacific, to maintain readiness.”

A third clip shared online by the US Navy shows numerous fighters on the deck of the USS Abraham Lincoln during the exercises in the Philippine Sea.

The US Navy said: “F-35C Lightning IIs, assigned to the “Black Knights” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 314, launch and land on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72).

“Noble Fusion demonstrates that Navy and Marine Corps forward-deployed stand-in naval expeditionary forces can rapidly aggregate Marine Expeditionary Unit/Amphibious Ready Group teams at sea, along with a carrier strike group, as well as other joint force elements and allies, in order to conduct lethal sea-denial operations, seize key maritime terrain, guarantee freedom of movement, and create an advantage for US, partner and allied forces. Naval Expeditionary forces conduct training throughout the year, in the Indo-Pacific, to maintain readiness.”

The relationship between the United States and China has been tense for years when former US President Donald Trump declared a trade war on China in 2020. In 2021, the United States called China’s abuse of the Uyghur people “genocide”, angering Beijing.

The United States and its allies, which includes Japan, have expressed serious concern at Beijing’s attempts to lay claim to numerous swathes of the South China Sea, which is populated with small islands Beijing appears eager to control.

There are said to be significant oil, natural gas, and mineral deposits on these islands and under the seafloor.