Why is the US-Australia ＂Protective Saber＂ military exercise particularly eye-catching？ Experts analyze two backgrounds

　　[Li Qiang, special correspondent of Global Times] The approach of an Australian electronic reconnaissance ship has greatly increased the popularity of the "Protective Saber" -21 joint military exercise jointly organized by the United States and China. Although the location of this exercise is far away from China, it does not prevent the US and Australian media from linking it with China. Even some Australian politicians believe that Australia is "very likely" to encounter a missile attack in the conflict between the United States and China.

　　According to the website of the Australian Ministry of Defence, the "Protective Saber" -21(TS21) exercise is the largest bilateral joint training activity between the Australian Defence Force and the US military. It aims to test the ability of the two forces to plan and carry out joint task force operations and improve the combat readiness and interoperability between the Australian and American forces. The "Protective Saber" exercise is held every two years, and this year is the ninth exercise. The exercises include combat preparation, amphibious landing, ground force mobility, urban warfare, air combat and maritime operations. The exercise will last from July 18th to mid-August.

　　According to Australian media reports, more than 17,000 people will participate in this year’s exercise. In addition to the United States and Australia, troops from Canada, Japan, New Zealand, South Korea and Britain will participate in the military exercise, while relevant personnel from India, Indonesia, France and Germany in Australia will observe the exercise. According to the report, most of these international troops will participate in offshore activities, including about 5,000 people who will participate in the "non-contact part" of the exercise as part of the US Navy’s expeditionary strike group. Major General elwood, the commander-in-chief of the exercise and the Deployable Joint Forces Command of the Australian Defence Force, said that the exercise will prove that the US and Australian armed forces can join hands quickly to carry out highly complex and multi-disciplinary operations in a challenging environment.

　　According to the US "Stars and Stripes" reported on the 14th, an expedition strike group headed by "USA" amphibious assault ship participated in the performance. It also includes 70 fixed-wing aircraft and 50 helicopters. The exercise will involve space, network, land, air and sea operations. In addition to the regular exercises, it is said that this time, the Patriot missile will be launched for the first time from the Australian coast. The "Stars and Stripes" website said on the 14th that the "Patriot" air defense system will shoot two drone targets from Shawwater Bay this Friday. The Patriot air defense system participating in the exercise belongs to the US Army’s 38th Air Defense Artillery Brigade. According to the report, as early as 2009, it was suggested to deploy a missile defense system to Australia. According to the report, Colonel Jerry Hall, the deputy director of the exercise, said that a key part of the exercise was to let the US and Australian troops cooperate around the Patriot air defense missile. The US Army and Air Force closely coordinate the use of the system to integrate air defense and anti-missile capabilities.

　　According to reports, Jim Moran, an Australian senator and retired major general, previously wrote in The Australian newspaper that Australia was "very likely" to be attacked by missiles in the conflict between the United States and China. However, Zhang Xuefeng, an expert in China, believes that some Australian politicians are interested in creating tension. The deployment and testing of "Patriot" is only symbolic.

　　Zhang Xuefeng said that the "Protective Saber" exercise has a history of more than ten years, but this year’s exercise is particularly eye-catching, which stems from two major backgrounds. On the one hand, the "Pacific deterrence plan" of the United States began to be implemented, and the United States built a second-tier encirclement network against China, hoping to build Australia into a transit station. Compared with the base of the US military in the "First Island Chain", it is not easy to be attacked on a large scale and is safer. Therefore, American and Australian scholars have mentioned the deployment of large anti-submarine patrol aircraft and even bombers in Australia before. On the other hand, Australia does not want to be politically biased, but has more say in the world political arena, so it actively moves closer to the United States. In addition, some participating countries may not be simple "routine", such as Japan.