In The Times.
US deploys B-52 bombers to Australia as China tensions rise The US will deploy up to six nuclear-capable B-52 bombers to a base near Australia’s northern coast, in a move that exacerbates tensions with Beijing. The long-range heavy bombers, which have been operated by the US since the 1950s as part of the country’s strategic strike force and nuclear deterrent, will be stationed at the remote Australian air force Tindal base, about 190 miles south of Darwin, in the country’s Northern Territory. The Chinese foreign ministry in Beijing criticised the move, saying the deployment “severely destroys regional peace and stability, and could trigger a regional arms race”. |
It must be a good idea. China's having a dummy spit.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-10-...alia/101598442 China slams planned US Air Force deployment of six B-52 bombers to northern Australia |
worth pointing out that that is over 4000 km from the nearest point on the Chinese Mainland.
If they were based in Estonia, Romania or Cyprus they'd be closer |
Thank God we didn’t go with plan A and build military bases on Atolls then! Could you imagine how upset they’d be!
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The original extension of RAAF Tindal was cited for max weight tanker operations ( which could have been done up the road at Darwin) The B52 op’s doesn’t appear to be a recent thought bubble at all. But part of a USAF strategy of dispersing their Pacific bomber operations for which Northern Australia sits perfectly for. As it did in WW2. Staging through Tindal, Darwin & Amberley, the USAF has the SW Pacific & beyond covered. Base hardening and long range SAM’s will be the next move. Most of which will be an Australian responsibility.
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Originally Posted by Asturias56
(Post 11323554)
worth pointing out that that is over 4000 km from the nearest point on the Chinese Mainland.
If they were based in Estonia, Romania or Cyprus they'd be closer |
The message is right: They create bases - we create bases.
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It deepens the area the Chinese have to worry about - which is good
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New Light-vehicle mounting carrier Swarm weapon system with up to 18 loitering munitions in 🇨🇳Zhuhai Airshow.
The system is allegedly low-cost and modular. It can perform reconnaissance, area control, precision strike, cluster strike and damage assessment missions. |
About those Chinese artificial islands….
All the hype about so-called "unsinkable aircraft carriers". Ever wondered why each of these outposts is so under-populated considering the infra can hold about a regiment of troops? Fact is that geomorphologically these artificial islands are unstable.… https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1...504396801.html |
Any earth scientist will tell you that artificial islands are unstable - because if God wanted an island there it would be there already . The issue is timing - "soon" to a geologist is normally 100-10,000 years. I'm pretty sure the Chinese would settle for 30. TBH I suspect they'll last longer than those expensive islands like the Palm off Dubai.
And of course in military terms a small N device exploded in the water a few miles away will cause a local tsunami that will solve all our (immediate) problems |
Article on the build up to an invasion of Taiwan.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/1...iwan-pub-88053 |
Originally Posted by West Coast
(Post 11329447)
Article on the build up to an invasion of Taiwan.
https://carnegieendowment.org/2022/1...iwan-pub-88053 |
Originally Posted by ORAC
(Post 11328148)
All the hype about so-called "unsinkable aircraft carriers". Ever wondered why each of these outposts is so under-populated considering the infra can hold about a regiment of troops? Fact is that geomorphologically these artificial islands are unstable.…
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And of course the Japanese holding onto islands right through to 1945 when the US just by-passed them and went for the jugular
they're really sacrificial markers in ongoing, low -level arguments with surrounding countries - in any sort of warm war they're sitting ducks. |
Speaking of Islands, VP Harris is visiting the Philippines.
US seeks expansion of military presence in PhilippinesBy JIM GOMEZ ASSOCIATED PRESS • November 21, 2022 MANILA, Philippines — The United States is seeking an expansion of its military presence in the Philippines under a 2014 defense pact, U.S. and Philippine officials said, one of the initiatives that will be discussed during Vice President Kamala Harris's visit that focuses on the defense of its treaty ally in the face of China's sweeping territorial claims. Harris will hold talks with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and other officials on Monday during a two-day visit that will include a trip to western Palawan province facing the disputed South China Sea, which Beijing claims virtually in its entirety. She was expected to reaffirm U.S. commitment to defend the Philippines under the 1951 Mutual Defense Treaty in case Filipino forces, ships and aircraft come under attack in the disputed waters. "The United States and the Philippines stand together as friends, partners, and allies," a statement issued by Harris's aides said. "Now and always, the U.S. commitment to the defense of the Philippines is ironclad." A range of U.S. assistance and projects would also be launched by Harris to help the Philippines deal with climate change and looming energy and food shortages. Reuters news agency reported dozens of protesters rallied Monday against the visit by Harris, saying the Philippines should not be dragged into U.S. and Chinese rivalry. "We don't want our country to be used as a pin board or launching pad of the wars of the United States against China or any other country," Liza Maza, an official of the International League of People's Struggle, told Reuters. -----skip a bit----- In 2014, the longtime allies signed the Enhance Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows larger numbers of American forces to stay in rotating batches within Philippine military camp, where they could build warehouses, living quarters, joint training facilities and store combat equipment, except nuclear arms. The Philippines could take over those buildings and facilities when the Americans leave. After the agreement was signed, the Americans launched construction projects in five Philippine camps and areas, including in the country's south, where U.S counterterrorism forces have helped train and provide intelligence to their Filipino counterparts for years. Many of the projects were delayed by legal issues and other problems, Philippine defense officials said. |
Chinese coast guard seizes rocket debris from Filipino navy (msn.com) |
Their failures in, probably, letting Covid loose, and in trying to eliminate it rather than vaccinate against it, may yet bring down the Chinese government - as it is their economy…
I've lived in China for 30 years, and I've never seen such a brazenly open and sustained expression of rage against the PRC govt. WeChat is exploding with protest videos and furious vitriol, and civil disobedience is becoming rampant. This is a serious test of CCP governance. |
Most serious moment since Tiananmen in 89. Hard to see the genie get put back in the bottle. A soft touch needed; a hammer much more likely to come next. And then who knows…..
People were shouting: “Down with the Communist Party! “Down with Xi Jinping!” “We want freedom!” Every of these slogans is enough to send a person to jail for 10 years or even a life risk.… |
https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...covid-strategy
Anti-lockdown protests spread in China as anger rises over zero-Covid strategy Protests against China’s stringent Covid restrictions have intensified, as a wave of civil disobedience triggered by a deadly fire in the far west reached levels in the mainland not seen since Xi Jinping assumed power a decade ago.…. |
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