US-Allies and Russia-China Joint Naval Exercises Amid US Submarine Deployment, China Issues Radio Warnings To Unnamed Aircraft, Vessels

After an announcement by Trump about repositioning two nuclear-powered submarines, Russia and China carried out anti-submarine warfare exercises.

INDO-PACIFIC — On August 3, naval forces from Russia and China started the maritime phase of the Joint Sea-2025 exercise near Vladivostok, ending on August 5, with activities covering submarine rescue, anti-submarine warfare, air and missile defense, and naval combat including live-fire elements.

This came after an announcement by US President Donald Trump on August 1 about repositioning two nuclear-powered submarines in response to statements from former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev on July 31.

Official records from government and military sources do not show a direct link between the exercise and the US deployment. At the same time, the United States began Large Scale Exercise 2025 on July 30, involving combined Navy and Marine Corps operations across 22 time zones to test war-fighting concepts, though no clear mentions of the Russia-China activities appear in Department of Defense documents.

Joint Sea-2025 Exercise

The Joint Sea-2025 exercise featured a combined naval group running operations for three days, after joint planning began on July 30. Ships included Chinese guided-missile destroyers Shaoxing and Urumqi, supply ship Qiandaohu, rescue ship Xihu, and Russian vessels like rescue ship Igor Belousov, anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs, and corvette Rezky.

These drills fit with ongoing military cooperation between the two countries, as noted in US Defense Intelligence Agency reviews showing more joint efforts in the Pacific, including recent patrols near the Arctic.

Information from the Chinese Ministry of National Defense stresses the exercise's focus on practical training, without mention of outside influences, though it continues a ten-year pattern of similar events to improve operations.

China Says It Warned Off Unknown Aircraft, Vessels Nearby As It Carried Out Exercises