Team News Riveting
The US military uniform had sparked off rumour suggesting it was preparing for a war with China.
The uniform of the air personnel on Island assault exercise off Californian coast uses a badge depicting China. The badge features a red silhouette of China, which the Chinese state media described as a provocative gesture.
The drill that was completed today was being conducted in California, but triggered warnings from Chinese state media that China would fight back if the US attacked it in the South China Sea.
US-based Air Force magazine reported that the training by the US veteran drone fleet, which began on September 3, suggested that the US Air Force was focusing more on the Pacific region.
Patches on uniforms made for the exercise featured an MQ-9 Reaper drone superimposed over a red silhouette of China, the report said.
Despite the training exercise taking place far from the Chinese coast, China’s state media suggested that the drones could be deployed to attack Chinese-built facilities in the South China Sea.
“Washington is stepping up preparations for war against China, and this type of drone that has participated in murders and other attacks around the world will also play a role in it,” an editorial by nationalistic tabloid Global Times said on Monday. This is the strategic signal sent from the exercise.
In August, retired Chinese naval officer Wang Yunfei suggested that the US might launch an attack on disputed Chinese-controlled reefs in the South China Sea to boost Trump’s re-election prospects. Wang said the most likely target of a sudden US attack would be Scarborough Shoal, known in China as Huangyan Island.
