Exercise Valiant Shield

Series of United States military war games in the Pacific Ocean since 2006

Exercise Valiant Shield is one of the largest United States military war games held in the Pacific Ocean. Nine Valiant Shield exercises were conducted between 2006 and 2022. According to the Navy, Valiant Shield focuses on cooperation between military branches and on the detection, tracking, and engagement of units at sea, in the air, and on land in response to a wide range of missions. The first exercise in 2006 involved 22,000 personnel, 280 aircraft, and 30 ships, including the supercarriers Kitty Hawk, Abraham Lincoln, and Ronald Reagan. It was the largest military exercise to be conducted by the United States in Pacific waters since the Vietnam War, and it was also the first time observers from the People's Republic of China were allowed to view U. S. wargames. The exercise marked the first of what will become biennial exercises involving different branches of the U. S. military. Valiant Shield 2006 included Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard units. Air operations included thousands of sorties as well as in air refuelings and parachute deployments. Aircraft from Valiant Shield deployed on missions ranging across the Pacific all the way to Alaska. Ships simulated anti submarine warfare. Valiant Shield 2006 was the first time that three carrier strike groups had operated together in the Pacific in over ten years. Forces exercised a wide range of skills, including maritime interdiction; defense counter air; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance; and command and control.

Observers from the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy were invited to attend, as were naval officers from India, Singapore, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Indonesia, and Malaysia. It was the first time observers from the People's Republic of China had ever been sent to observe U. S. war games. China sent a ten person delegation, including one high ranking officer each from its navy, army, and air force, as well as officials from its foreign ministry. According to USA Today, Chinese military observers said that observing the exercises gave them a better understanding of U. S. weapons and tactics. Rear Admiral Zhang Leiyu, leader of the delegation, called the visit to the war games near Guam "a positive step in China U. S. military ties." Military ties between the United States and China have not been close ever since a communist government came to power in China. Admiral William J. Fallon, the top U. S. commander in the Pacific, said it was "a start" that China accepted his invitation to observe the large scale exercises. Fallon indicated before the exercises began that he expected China to reciprocate. However, neither Zhang or the Xinhua report gave any indication that such an invitation was forthcoming. The exercise had implications for other world events as well, including acting as a show of force to possibly deter North Korea from test firing its new Taepodong 2 missile.