White House Responds to Russia-China Military Challenge to US

The White House insisted on Monday that there was no reason to update U.S. defense strategy in response to the Russian and Chinese joint naval and air exercises.

"I see no reason for us to change our own military posture or deterrent posture as a result of this exercise. This is a long-planned exercise," said John Kirby, the White House National Security Council spokesperson.

The Chinese defense ministry said earlier in the day that Russia will send naval and air forces for the Northern/Interaction-2024 exercise, organized by the Chinese military in the Sea of Japan and the Sea of Okhotsk, to deepen strategic coordination and enhance abilities to respond to threats.

Naval forces from the two countries will also conduct their fifth joint patrol in the Pacific Ocean . Meanwhile, China will participate in the Ocean-2024, a strategic exercise of the Russian military that involved more than 400 vessels, over 120 aircraft and helicopters, as well as more than 90,000 personnel.

"It's a part of their regimen. So, we'll watch it and monitor, but there's no dramatic, imminent concern about it," Kirby added during a press briefing. However, the three Russia-China military maneuvers come after the U.S. military is facing a so-called "sea power gap" in the contested Western Pacific Ocean.

None of the six West Coast-based American aircraft carriers were underway in the Western Pacific Ocean as of last week, Newsweek 's weekly update showed. Two of them had been diverted from scheduled deployments in the region to the Middle East, currently fraught with tension.

The U.S. Naval Institute's USNI News, which tracks ships of the U.S. Navy, reported that as of Sunday, two American amphibious warships were operating in the Western Pacific Ocean. Both USS Boxer and USS America are capable of carrying F-35B "Lightning II" stealth fighter jets.

The series of China-Russia joint exercises highlighted the close cooperation between Moscow and Beijing, a quasi-alliance that claimed to be not targeting any third party. China has sought to present itself as neutral in the Russia-Ukraine war, while indirectly aiding the Russian through economic support.

Kirby claimed that Russia and China did not have a long history of working well together. "These are two nations that don't necessarily fully trust one another in the region or beyond, around the world." He also said the U.S. has been watching the development of their defense relationship.

Newsweek has reached out to the defense ministries of Russia and China via email for comment.

The Global Times , a Chinese state media outlet, said the militaries of China and Russia routinely organize joint exercises and patrols, highlighting their close relationship and efforts to further deepen pragmatic cooperation. The report cited an anonymous Beijing-based military expert.