US Navy Destroyer to Run Spratly Gauntlet within next 24 Hours

[CptTrips]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/30/us-southchinasea-usa-china-navy-idUSKCN0SO05320151030

Of course there is a bit of Kabuki dance to all of this.  And we did telegraph our intention ahead of time as we should have.  There was no advantage in surprising the Chinese.  We wanted them to be ready and have their forces under tight control. This is a time when you want everyone's actions to be carefully calculated.

But it would be foolish to dismiss the underlying risk in this situation.  Saving face has deep psychological power over the Chinese mind.  It could make them act against their own self interest.  And right now, we are taking a wizz right in their kisser.  Publicly. 

The next run won't be so uneventful.  The Chinese will make a more forceful response.  And then we'll be in the position of escalating or losing the confidence of our allies.  And the Pacific is our next core strategic focus.  If we damage our standing with our Pacific allies, the next 100 years of our diplomacy will be weakened.

-Wab

[Brooke]

Pies?

Freeze-dried ones ought to last years.  Or this should be a new staple of military food, like the MRE, but it would the PRE (pies ready to eat).

[zack1234]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/10/30/us-southchinasea-usa-china-navy-idUSKCN0SO05320151030

Of course there is a bit of Kabuki dance to all of this.  And we did telegraph our intention ahead of time as we should have.  There was no advantage in surprising the Chinese.  We wanted them to be ready and have their forces under tight control. This is a time when you want everyone's actions to be carefully calculated.

But it would be foolish to dismiss the underlying risk in this situation.  Saving face has deep psychological power over the Chinese mind.  It could make them act against their own self interest.  And right now, we are taking a wizz right in their kisser.  Publicly. 

The next run won't be so uneventful.  The Chinese will make a more forceful response.  And then we'll be in the position of escalating or losing the confidence of our allies.  And the Pacific is our next core strategic focus.  If we damage our standing with our Pacific allies, the next 100 years of our diplomacy will be weakened.

-Wab

The Chinese are owned hook line and sinker to the US financial concerns they will do what they are told

It was Iran that the US hated now its the Chinese.

The US is even having Talks with Iran about its getting involved in sorting the IS shambles that has sprung up because its mess in Syria.
 
Its about time North Korea got the blame for, its been 6 months now since the colonials waved their pitch forks at them.

China

They are building a Nuclear Power station in the UK

Click on the link below, its the Washington post so its not commie


https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/us-exports-to-china-boom-despite-trade-tensions/2012/03/01/gIQAB2Rs5R_story.html

[Gman]

Well said Wab, I agree completely with that assessment.

Zack likes to joke about war being absolutely impossible, however the Chinese moves and re armament are making the time ever shorter for when either confrontation, or complete surrender of the Pacific sea lanes and abandonment of US allies in the region occurs.   

[Zimme83]

International law only allow artificial islands within 200 miles from the mainland so China cannot claim any territorial water around the islands.

[Vulcan]

International law only allow artificial islands within 200 miles from the mainland so China cannot claim any territorial water around the islands.

Is that the law the USA has not officially ratified?   

[Zimme83]

http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part5.htm

Article60

Artificial islands, installations and structures

in the exclusive economic zone

1. In the exclusive economic zone, the coastal State shall have the exclusive right to construct and to authorize and regulate the construction, operation and use of:

(a) artificial islands;

(b) installations and structures for the purposes provided for in article 56 and other economic purposes;

(c) installations and structures which may interfere with the exercise of the rights of the coastal State in the zone.

2. The coastal State shall have exclusive jurisdiction over such artificial islands, installations and structures, including jurisdiction with regard to customs, fiscal, health, safety and immigration laws and regulations.

3. Due notice must be given of the construction of such artificial islands, installations or structures, and permanent means for giving warning of their presence must be maintained. Any installations or structures which are abandoned or disused shall be removed to ensure safety of navigation, taking into account any generally accepted international standards established in this regard by the competent international organization. Such removal shall also have due regard to fishing, the protection of the marine environment and the rights and duties of other States. Appropriate publicity shall be given to the depth, position and dimensions of any installations or structures not entirely removed.

4. The coastal State may, where necessary, establish reasonable safety zones around such artificial islands, installations and structures in which it may take appropriate measures to ensure the safety both of navigation and of the artificial islands, installations and structures.

5. The breadth of the safety zones shall be determined by the coastal State, taking into account applicable international standards. Such zones shall be designed to ensure that they are reasonably related to the nature and function of the artificial islands, installations or structures, and shall not exceed a distance of 500 metres around them, measured from each point of their outer edge, except as authorized by generally accepted international standards or as recommended by the competent international organization. Due notice shall be given of the extent of safety zones.

6. All ships must respect these safety zones and shall comply with generally accepted international standards regarding navigation in the vicinity of artificial islands, installations, structures and safety zones.

7. Artificial islands, installations and structures and the safety zones around them may not be established where interference may be caused to the use of recognized sea lanes essential to international navigation.

8. Artificial islands, installations and structures do not possess the status of islands. They have no territorial sea of their own, and their presence does not affect the delimitation of the territorial sea, the exclusive economic zone or the continental shelf.

[Meatwad]

Send in a seal team and pull the stopper from the bottom of the plastic chinese island. With all the lead paint its covered with it should sink pretty fast

[DaveBB]

1 typhoon and that manmade island is gone.  It appears to be a bunch of sand poured on top of a reef. 

[zack1234]

Nasty chinese

Or koreans or Iranians or syrians or afgans.

As i said two years ago you need some country to wave your pitch forks at, it stops you looking at whats going on at home.

The old tricks are the best.

Kurdistans oil reserves are now finally coming on line, where is this country and what war was fought near it?

[Vulcan]

http://www.un.org/depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/part5.htm

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_and_the_United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_parties_to_the_United_Nations_Convention_on_the_Law_of_the_Sea

Although the United States now recognizes the UNCLOS as a codification of customary international law, it has not ratified it.

....

Although the United States helped shape the Convention and its subsequent revisions,[5] and though it signed the 1994 Agreement on Implementation, it has not signed the Convention as it objected to Part XI of the Convention

So, ironically, we have a country who has ratified the convention breaking it, and a country who has not ratified it trying to enforce it   

[JVboob]

Do you all really think that we've been playing Aces High, World of Tanks, and World of Warships for fun?  No! The US Government has been training us as an elite force of drone commanders.  They are going to put digitized receivers in all of our military equipment and then for $14.95 we will fight the Chinese while boosting our economy.

Trust me, crazier things have happened....

I uhhh want a Drone P38 to use for CAS. put a good camera with IR so my room mate can laze the target for my A2G warheads.

[pipz]

Kurdistans oil reserves are now finally coming on line, where is this country and what war was fought near it?

The answer is quit obvious. The war for the Las Malvinas islands! 

[zack1234]

Pipz wheres hi heels in game

And likes soft furnishings

[Ramesis]

Does anyone remeber Neville Chamberlain?