The Pentagon has announced plans to launch underwater drones near the Spratly archipelago in what is a clear indication that the US has no intention to back down in the South China Sea, Washington has been expressing outrage over the past year over a series of land reclamation projects by Beijing in the highly contested region…of which the US has no claims. Sputnik news reports: In a show of opposition, the Pentagon has conducted several provocative actions in the region, including Navy patrols within the territorial limits of those islands and surveillance flights through Chinese airspace. “Countries across the Asia-Pacific are voicing concern with China’s land reclamation, which stands out in size and scope, as well as its militarization in the South China Sea,” US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter said during a visit to the USS Stennis in the South China Sea on Friday. While Beijing has repeatedly urged for calm, Washington has ratcheted up its maneuvers, announcing new plans to deploy a fleet of unmanned submersibles into the waterway. Carter said that the Pentagon is perfecting “new undersea drones in multiple sizes and diverse payloads that can, importantly, operate in shallow water, where submarines cannot.” The Pentagon plans to [...]