The Pentagon releases footage of hundreds of “deeply disturbing” aircraft intercepted by Chinese aircraft

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon released footage of some more of 180 objection of American warplanes by Chinese aircraft occurred in the past two years — more than the total amount over the past decade and part of a trend that has alarmed American military officials.

The photos and videos were released ahead of the Pentagon’s soon-to-be-released annual report on China’s military power and the security threats it may pose to partners in the Indo-Pacific region.

The Pentagon has tried for years to position itself for potential conflict with China over Taiwan Even as it now finds itself supporting its allies in two hot wars, Ukraine in Europe and Israel in the Middle East.

Adm. John Aquilino, commander of US Indo-Pacific Command, said at a news conference at the Pentagon on Tuesday that despite the surge of US aircraft carrier groups and amphibious ships to support Israel, and now nearly 20 months of war in Ukraine, the command has What you need. To deter China.

“Not a single piece of equipment or force structure has left,” he said, referring to ships, aircraft and military units. We have taken a number of steps to strengthen our commitment to the region and strengthen our deterrence in the region, and we will continue to do so.”

Officials said the Chinese flights were inherently risky and aggressive, but stopped short of calling most of them unsafe — a specific term used only in the most egregious cases. However, officials said it was important to release the footage and point out this behavior because they said it was part of a larger trend of regional intimidation by China that could mistakenly lead to conflict.

“All of these examples we released today underscore (China’s) coercive intent by engaging in specific behaviors in international airspace,” said Eli Ratner, Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security. “The bottom line is that in many cases, this type of operational behavior can cause active and serious incidents” and can inadvertently lead to conflict, Ratner said.