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 The USS Fort Worth, one of the most modern ships in the U.S. navy,
dispatched a reconnaissance drone and a Seahawk helicopter to patrol
the airspace, according to a little-noticed statement on the navy's
website.
While the navy didn't mention China's rapid land reclamation in the
Spratlys, the ship's actions were a demonstration of U.S.
capabilities in the event Beijing declares an Air Defence
Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the area - a move experts and some
U.S. military officials see as increasingly likely.
"It's not inevitable but if we are betting paychecks I'll bet that
they will eventually declare one, I just don't know when," said a
senior U.S. commander familiar with the situation in Asia.
ADIZs are not governed by formal treaties or laws but are used by
some nations to extend control beyond national borders, requiring
civilian and military aircraft to identify themselves or face
possible military interception.
China sparked condemnation from the United States and Japan when it
imposed an ADIZ in the East China Sea, above uninhabited islands
disputed with Tokyo, in late 2013.
Chinese military facilities now under construction on Fiery Cross
Reef in the Spratlys, including a 3,000-metre (10,000-foot) runway
and airborne early warning radars, could be operational by the
year-end, said the U.S. commander, who declined to be identified.
 Recent satellite images also show reclamation work on Subi Reef
creating landmasses that, if joined together, could make space for a
similar sized airstrip.
Growing concern in Washington that China might impose air and sea
restrictions in the Spratlys once it completes work on its seven
artificial islands is likely to be on the agenda when U.S. Secretary
of State John Kerry meets Chinese leaders in Beijing this weekend
for previously scheduled talks.
TOUGH TO ENFORCE
Asia's rising power claims sovereignty over most of the South China
Sea, through which $5 trillion in ship-borne trade passes every
year. The Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Taiwan and Brunei also
have overlapping claims.
China has said it had every right to set up an ADIZ but that current
conditions in the South China Sea did not warrant one.
Enforcing such an ADIZ would be difficult even with two airstrips
capable of handling fighter planes in the Spratlys, as well as an
expanded airstrip on Woody island in the disputed Paracel island
chain further north because of the distances involved, regional
military officials and experts said.
The Spratlys for example lie more than 1,100 km (680 miles) from the
Chinese mainland, putting China's well-equipped airbases along its
coastline well out of reach.
"Even with the new reclamations, it is going to be a stretch for
China to routinely enforce such a zone that far south," said Richard
Bitzinger, a regional security analyst at Singapore's S. Rajaratnam
School of International Studies.
The Japanese and U.S. military ignore the ADIZ above the East China
Sea, as does Japan's two major carriers, ANA Holdings <9202.T> and
Japan Airlines <9201.T>.
A study produced by the independent U.S. Congressional Research
Service earlier this year noted that while China's air force
actively monitors that zone with ground radar from its coastline, it
had generally shown restraint in enforcement.
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China's planes were unlikely to maintain a constant presence over
the East China Sea, the study noted, citing a U.S. air force
assessment.
RISK OF ESCALATION
The South China Sea might prove more problematic for China given the
complexity of the dispute and the possibility of challenges from the
U.S. navy and air force.
Indeed, on Tuesday, a U.S. official said the Pentagon was
considering sending military aircraft and ships to assert freedom of
navigation around the Chinese-made islands.
China's Foreign Ministry responded by saying Beijing was "extremely
concerned" and demanded clarification.
On Friday it accused the Philippines of working together with the
United States to "exaggerate the China threat" over the Spratlys.
China had recently warned Philippine air force and navy planes at
least six times to leave the Spratlys, the Philippine military
commander responsible for the region said last week. The planes
refused.
Zhang Baohui, a mainland security expert at Hong Kong's Lingnan
University, said he was worried about the risk of confrontation from
any U.S. show of force.
"It's reckless," he said, referring to Washington's latest plans.
"It has a built-in dynamic for unintended escalation," he added.
"Are they willing to take the consequences of this escalation?"
At sea, tensions are already apparent.
The naval statement about the USS Fort Worth, which can also hunt
submarines and support amphibious landings, noted the ship
"encountered multiple People's Liberation Army-Navy warships" during
its patrol. It did not go into detail.
"Our interactions with Chinese ships continue to be professional and
(the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea) helps clarify intentions
and prevent miscommunication," Commander Matt Kawas, the Fort
Worth's commanding officer, said in the statement.
(Additional reporting by Tim Kelly and Nobuhiro Kobu in YOKOHAMA,
Japan; Editing by Dean Yates)
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