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Source: How close are we to global naval warfare?
How close are we to global naval warfare?©Getty Images
Tensions remain high in global seas with rising conflict between nations. Maritime borders have become hot spots for political standoffs, leaving many to wonder how close the world is to a broader crisis at sea. Curious about escalating threats to global peace? Click through to explore the growing risks.
Royal Navy tracks suspicious Russian spy ship near UK©Getty Images
On January 2025, a Russian vessel suspected of espionage, was closely monitored by the Royal Navy after entering UK waters and traversing the English Channel amid rising concerns over the security of undersea cables. Defence Secretary John Healey informed Parliament on January 21 that the Yantar, allegedly involved in “mapping the UK’s critical underwater infrastructure,” had crossed into British waters for the second time in under three months.
Conflict in the South China Sea©Getty Images
The August 25, 2024 encounter was just the latest in a string of recent confrontations between Manila and Beijing. In June 2024, China was accused by the United States of “aggressive” and “dangerous” tactics after a Chinese vessel and a Philippine supply ship collided in the South China Sea.
Second Thomas Shoal©Getty Images
The incident occurred on June 17 near Second Thomas Shoal (pictured), a submerged reef in the Spratly Islands claimed by China, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam.
Focus of the BRP Sierra Madre©Getty Images
Second Thomas Shoal is occupied by Philippine Navy personnel aboard a ship, the BRP Sierra Madre, that was intentionally grounded on the reef in 1999.
Territorial claim©Getty Images
The BRP Sierra Madre was deliberately steered onto the reef by the Philippine Navy to assert their nation’s sovereignty over the shoal, which is also known as Ayungin Shoal. The vessel has been periodically replenished ever since.
Long and distinguished service©Public Domain
The boat began life as the USS Harnett County, a tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during the Second World War. Harnett County later saw action in the Vietnam War before being transferred to South Vietnam’s Navy and renamed RVNS My Tho. The Philippine Navy officially acquired the ship on April 5, 1976. The vessel is pictured in South Vietnamese waters, circa 1967-1970.
Confrontation©Getty Images
In March 2024, a Philippine Navy chartered vessel was conducting a routine resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal when it was blocked by Chinese militia ships as it attempted to reach the remote reef.
Signing the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty©Getty Images
The Philippine government has reminded Washington on several occasions of the 1951 mutual defense treaty between the US and the Philippines that stipulates both sides would help defend each other if either were attacked by a third party. Pictured on August 30, 1951, is Philippine Foreign Secretary General Carlos Romulo signing for his country as Philippine President Elpidio Quirino (left) and US President Harry S. Truman look on.
Sovereignty disputes©Getty Images
The South China Sea, a coastal sea in the Western Pacific, is where Southeast Asia meets the ocean. Its waters have been the focus of sovereignty disputes since the aftermath of the Second World War, when several coastal countries gained their independence.
Battle of Parcel Islands©Getty Images
The Parcel Islands were in fact the scene of a conflict between the naval forces of China and South Vietnam in January 1974 during the closing stages of the Vietnam War. The sea battle was an attempt by the South Vietnamese Navy to expel the Chinese Navy from the vicinity. It ended with China establishing full control over the Parcels. Pictured is the Crescent Group of islands, part of the still disputed Parcels.
The strategic Spratly Islands©Getty Images
Composed of islands, islets, cays, and more than 100 reefs and atolls, the Spratly Islands serve as a potential flashpoint for global conflict in the vital waterway. Pictured is Sabina Shoal, part of the Spratly Islands.
A contested sea©Public Domain
This map goes someway in illustrating just how hotly contested the Spratly’s and other islands are. Brunei, China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam all claim “ownership” of the region. All except Brunei occupy some of the maritime features.
Taiping Island©Getty Images
Taiping Island, also called Itu Aba Island, is the largest of the naturally occurring Spratly Islands. This smudge of land is administered by the Republic of China (Taiwan), a fact that only serves to heighten tensions between the two neighbors
Woody Island©Getty Images
The largest of the Parcel Islands is Woody Island, or Yongxing Island. Chinese mariners set foot on this island as early as the Qing dynasty (1644–1912). It has been under the control of the People’s Republic of China since 1956.
An escalating conflict©Getty Images
Tensions in the South China Sea threaten to draw in Russia and the United States. In 2019, a Russian destroyer, seen here on the left, came within 100 feet (30 m) of the USS Chancellorsville while operating in the Philippine Sea.
US-Philippines joint military exercises©Getty Images
The following year, in May 2024, the United States took part in a live fire operation as part of a US-Philippines joint military exercise in Laoag, Ilocos Norte province.
Could war games become real?©Getty Images
Codenamed Balikatan (shoulder-to-shoulder), the joint military exercise involved 16,000 troops, with drills extending beyond the Philippines’ territorial sea into the contentious South China Sea, directly opposing China’s broad claims. The exercises also included drills in the Philippines’ northern Cagayan province, near Taiwan. These war games followed the incident where the Philippines accused China of attacking their ships with water cannons near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal.
Obstacles to peace and stability©Getty Images
Addressing the increasingly fraught situation in April 2024, Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro (left, seen with Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. (center), Foreign Secretary Enrique Manalo, and US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin) warned: “We will exert our utmost in order to fulfill our sworn mandate to protect our territorial integrity, sovereignty, and sovereign rights. It should now be clear to the international community that China’s actions are the true obstacles to peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
Concern in the Caribbean©Reuters
Russia’s recent actions in the Caribbean are also concerning the world. In June 2024, a Russian warship and a nuclear-powered submarine docked in Havana, Cuba, along with two support vessels. Their presence served as a curtain-raiser to a much larger Russian naval exercise due to take place in the Caribbean within the next few months. The show of strength was not lost on Washington, and was interpreted by some as a response to American support for Ukraine.
Concern in the Caribbean©Getty Images
The arrival in Cuba of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kazan and the class frigate Admiral Gorshkov on June 12, 2024, rang alarm bells in Washington, D.C.
Russian naval presence©Getty Images
The vessels, part of a Russian naval detachment, sailed into Havana ahead of air and naval exercises in the Caribbean in the coming weeks, according to a US official.
Russian military exercise©Getty Images
The exercise, set to involve Russian warships and long-range bombers, will be closely monitored, representing as it does the first simultaneous air and naval maneuvers Russia has conducted in the Caribbean since 2019.
Setting the stage©Getty Images
Accompanying the two warships into Havana harbor were a pair of support vessels, the fleet oil tanker Pashin and the rescue and tugboat Nicolay Chiker (pictured).
Five-day show of strength©Getty Images
The flotilla spent five days in Havana before the Admiral Gorshkov and the two support vessels departed for Venezuela while the Kazan sailed north into the Atlantic, according to the Miami Herald.
Sources: (CNN) (CBS News) (Reuters) (Centre for Strategic and International Studies)
See also: Countries that were in the most wars