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Seems like it's time to refurbish the gate guards - at least they worked in their day!
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Outside the Box.
Lazer-Hound has a point about distance. UK plc closed the nearest base it had to the Pacific - HMS Tamar in Victoria Harbour - in Apr 97 and it was paved over for parking. With it went the last tangible permanent British military interest east of the Gulf. Furthermore, a painful history lesson suggests that any nation attempting an effective naval blockade is wasting its time and effort if control of the land borders or border nation coastal waters lacks similar discipline: Beira and oil, Hong Kong and illegal immigrants and, more recently, the Gulf and oil smuggling or work off Socotra.
Perhaps instead of kit, the UK could support a different military expedition? The six-nation talks from 2003 linked South Korea, Russia, Japan, China and the United States with North Korea. Why not forget the Cold War and answer Gainesy's question about Russia's Pacific Fleet. Open sources note some consolidation (reduction) of Russian strategic SSN interests in Krasheninnikov Bay, Kamchatka, while the Far East Military District Command shifted into Primorsk from Vladivostok. While Russia may have different political leadership challenges, it still has a lot of kit and it has even experimented with Sino-Russian exercises. The first was in Aug last year called Peace Mission 2005. Nationally, it managed 30 surface ships and submarines in an interoperability exercise this spring with aircraft and coastal defenses. It might match the Koreans for rust and some levels of serviceability but a Russian military presence could ginger the Chinese resolve and really confuse the Korean threat appreciation. |
Going back a few years the RN had two berths at Singapore on long term lease. Invincible went their fater her far east tour when the Ozzies would not let her dock at Sydney in case she was carrying anything hot. Not a naval base I grant you but a facility that has value. As far as I know the arrangement still exists. More likely though is that the Japanese would provide support.
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Dare I say more sabre rattling going on from the 'Dear Leader' no not BLiar but Little Kim.
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Unless the RN can blockage the Chinese border then naval sanctions against NK aren't worth a damn.
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DLO Fuels Depot Sembawang
At the Singapore Naval Base at Sembawang, DLO own and the RN run, a fuels depots with several berths. Mainly used by 7th Fleet, but the Singaporeans are happy we are running it and not our cousins. Still functioning last year, with a 3-ringer in charge. Still some MQs up on King's Parade, if my memory serves me right.
Oh, and we should all be focusing on the Shanghai Cooperation process...go on, google it. Too difficult for me to post a link! |
Not wishing to re-light the: http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?t=246637
Thread; you may be interested to know that RNSTO Singapore, to give him his true identity, is a Cdr DLO who is a uniformed CS Gd C1. Very good value for money he is too. |
BBC: France searches N Korean vessel
French officials in the Indian Ocean have inspected a North Korean ship under the terms of UN Security Council sanctions adopted against Pyongyang. The ship was examined on the island of Mayotte, but there were no reports it was carrying any illegal cargo. It is believed to be the first time a North Korean vessel has been inspected under Security Council Resolution 1718. The resolution imposed sanctions on North Korea after it carried out a nuclear test in October. The measures are aimed at preventing North Korea from acquiring or spreading nuclear technology. Customs officials carried out a "thorough and complete inspection" of the ship, its crew and its contents, a spokesman for France's foreign ministry said. "We are exercising particular vigilance regarding cargo transported by North Korean ships, and all ships starting from or heading to North Korea," he said. The Associated Press news agency quoted a customs official as saying that no weapons, drugs or other prohibited material had been found on the ship or the 45-strong crew after a search "from bow to stern and top to bottom". The UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1718 on 14 October..... UN SANCTIONS ON N KOREA Bans sale to, or export from, N Korea of military hardware Bans sale or export of nuclear and missile related items Bans sale of luxury goods Freezes finances and bans travel of anyone involved in nuclear, missile programmes Allows inspection of cargo to and from N Korea |
Vive la France...
BTW, I knew we had residual basing rights in Singapore and about the 5 Power agreement, but I wasn't aware we actually owned any facilities there, still less that actual bluejackets were there. Fascinating.. |
Originally Posted by Lazer-Hound
(Post 2911528)
Has it occurred to anyone that all this is happening really a very, very long way away from the UK and that the US 7th Fleet, Japan and South Korea all dispose considerable naval and air assets in the region? Consequently any contribution the RN could make would be negligible at best. Is it really in the UK's best interests to get involved in this?
Although S Korea isn't a member there are 3 Commonwealth nations in it - Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei - so it's entirely possible we have Treaty commitments to those nations in some form or other. |
Time to revisit this thread?
Here's a link to the Sea Jet thread that was hinted at in my absence. In the three and a half (approx) years since this thread was started, the number of RN (and USN) ships has gone down, ASW and AAW capabilities have declined, the Nimrod has been retired pending the arrival of the MRA4 in x years time, and North Korea has demonstrated the real potency of its submarines against surface targets. And the NK boats are nowhere to be seen.... I hope any replies won't be as hysterical as Spad's comments on his thread. |
WEBF,
Some people have said " why should we need the Seajet anyway, even if we did take part "; well if you can use AMRAAMS combined with look down / shoot down radar to take out cruise / anti-ship missiles ( somebody will no doubt provide the answer to that ) then I'd say they would be jolly useful ! As far as a blockade goes, I like everyone here think the bastards can't go unpunished for what they've done, but as someone else mentioned the North is already near famine, and if we back them into a corner it's surely pretty dangerous, with certifiable nut's in charge ?! The only answer I can think of - easy from my armchair - is for their submarine force ( or anything else ) to quietly fail to return if ever daft enough to come out again, I'm sure other 'accidents' could happen. As for the alarm in some newspapers about 4 sub's disappearing, it seems they're 300 ton jobs; hardly ocean rangers... |
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'They've' got a statue with a bloke with no arms chucking grenades at Yankee Imperialist Dogs (not sure how he is supposed to get the pins out n stuff) with his teeth so I wouldn't be too bothered about a propaganda poster.
The North & South are still technically at war - so what T.F. do you want to do to 'punish' them (which would be for your benefit and not for the innocent people in the South OR the North)? |
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