jward
passin' thru
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
25m
The Cobra Ball in the Sea of Japan is still up with tanker support. JSTARs is still up on South Korea's west coast. U.S. thinking another gift from KJU in regards to July 4th?
ALERT The Winds of War Blow in Korea and The Far East
- Thread starter northern watch
- Start date
Global: MilitaryInfo
@Global_Mil_Info
25m
The Cobra Ball in the Sea of Japan is still up with tanker support. JSTARs is still up on South Korea's west coast. U.S. thinking another gift from KJU in regards to July 4th?
jward
passin' thru
The Diplomat
@Diplomat_APAC
23m
Japan, Philippines to Hold First Ever Joint Air Exercises
View: https://twitter.com/Diplomat_APAC/status/1411549329844695041?s=20
jward
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Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
30m
Why #Taiwan looms large for #Japan Amid worsening #US #China ties & rising tensions over Taiwan, the Japanese are realising they could not sit out a war over the island. Recent aggressive #Chinese actions have hardened public opinion.
2/ Normally careful about annoying China, Tokyo is moving closer to a policy stance that could scarcely be more abhorrent to Beijing: a commitment to help defend Taiwan against a possible Chinese military takeover attempt.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1411891775124299782?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
30m
Why #Taiwan looms large for #Japan Amid worsening #US #China ties & rising tensions over Taiwan, the Japanese are realising they could not sit out a war over the island. Recent aggressive #Chinese actions have hardened public opinion.
2/ Normally careful about annoying China, Tokyo is moving closer to a policy stance that could scarcely be more abhorrent to Beijing: a commitment to help defend Taiwan against a possible Chinese military takeover attempt.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1411891775124299782?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
1h
#China is far and away the biggest lender to #Africa. And as the table below shows, when it comes to the Republic of #Congo, China has supplied 80% of the nation's borrowings. It's called "debt-trap diplomacy." https://abc.net.au/news/2021-07-0
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1411971463813292033?s=20
jward
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NK NEWS
@nknewsorg
4m
North Korea recently ignored both a key ICBM missile test anniversary date and a major anti-U.S. holiday. While U.S.-DPRK relations have stagnated, these moves possibly suggest that Pyongyang is weighing its options for diplomacy.
View: https://twitter.com/nknewsorg/status/1412305313357832193?s=20
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
China's new conscription plans could 'boost troops' in wartime, analyst says
By Elizabeth Shim
China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs posted to social media over the weekend a draft of conscription plans that would affect the country’s veterans. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
July 7 2021 (UPI) -- China disclosed for the first time conscription plans for war that experts say will better prepare the country for armed conflict.
A proposal from China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs includes plans to enlist military veterans. Bringing officers out of retirement and onto the front lines was referred to as a "top priority," the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.
The regulations would delegate to China's State Council, or the Central Military Commission, the responsibility of drafting soldiers to agencies at "various levels."
Veterans could rejoin their unit or be assigned to a new position, the report said.
The draft regulations, made available on the ministry's WeChat account also stated, "During wartime, the transport department and workers shall give priority to enlisted soldiers; other organizations and personnel should also help them."
China is using its social media account to gather public feedback on the draft regulations. The country has not revised conscription plans since 2001. The regulations were initially introduced in 1985, the report said.
Song Zhongping, a military analyst, told the Post that the changes make China more ready to deal with "emergencies."
"The new section about enlisting soldiers during wartime can make the process more comprehensive," Song said.
"It fits to the actual needs of China, because enlisting veterans in the military can quickly boost troops' ability if China fights a war."
The assessment comes after China marked the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. State-owned publications have released details of a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said he stands by an "unshakable commitment" to unify China on the centenary.
China flew 28 warplanes into Taiwan-controlled airspace on June 15, the largest display of force in two years, according to Taiwan's defense ministry last month.
China’s new conscription plans could 'boost troops' in wartime, analyst says - UPI.com
By Elizabeth Shim
China’s Ministry of Veterans Affairs posted to social media over the weekend a draft of conscription plans that would affect the country’s veterans. File Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI | License Photo
July 7 2021 (UPI) -- China disclosed for the first time conscription plans for war that experts say will better prepare the country for armed conflict.
A proposal from China's Ministry of Veterans Affairs includes plans to enlist military veterans. Bringing officers out of retirement and onto the front lines was referred to as a "top priority," the South China Morning Post reported Wednesday.
The regulations would delegate to China's State Council, or the Central Military Commission, the responsibility of drafting soldiers to agencies at "various levels."
Veterans could rejoin their unit or be assigned to a new position, the report said.
The draft regulations, made available on the ministry's WeChat account also stated, "During wartime, the transport department and workers shall give priority to enlisted soldiers; other organizations and personnel should also help them."
China is using its social media account to gather public feedback on the draft regulations. The country has not revised conscription plans since 2001. The regulations were initially introduced in 1985, the report said.
Song Zhongping, a military analyst, told the Post that the changes make China more ready to deal with "emergencies."
"The new section about enlisting soldiers during wartime can make the process more comprehensive," Song said.
"It fits to the actual needs of China, because enlisting veterans in the military can quickly boost troops' ability if China fights a war."
The assessment comes after China marked the centenary of the Chinese Communist Party. State-owned publications have released details of a hypothetical Chinese attack on Taiwan. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has said he stands by an "unshakable commitment" to unify China on the centenary.
China flew 28 warplanes into Taiwan-controlled airspace on June 15, the largest display of force in two years, according to Taiwan's defense ministry last month.
China’s new conscription plans could 'boost troops' in wartime, analyst says - UPI.com
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Russia deploys Su-35S heavy fighters to Kamchatka peninsula
Defence Blog
By Dylan Malyasov
Jul 2, 2021
Modified date: 5 days ago
Russian Armed Forces are to deploy an additional fighter squadron on the Kamchatka peninsula, according to local media.
Russia has sent a “squadron” of Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-E” heavy fighter jets to the 1250km-long Kamchatka peninsula located in the country’s Far East.
Bordering the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka is one of the most important outposts in the region where the interests of the United States, China and Japan collide.
Russian media said that Su-35S fighters will join MiG-31 interceptors of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s 317th Composite Aviation Regiment at Yelizovo airfield. The regiment currently operates two squadrons of MiG-31B and MiG-31BS aircraft, two squadrons of Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, a squadron of Il-38 ASW aircraft, as well as Forpost and Orlan unmanned aerial vehicles, small transport aircraft, and other helicopters.
Earlier, the journalists learned that the Yelizovo airbase is expected to be seriously updated. At airbase will build concrete shelters for new combat aircraft and modernize communications and navigation systems. Work has already begun this spring.
Russia deploys Su-35S heavy fighters to Kamchatka peninsula (defence-blog.com)
Defence Blog
By Dylan Malyasov
Jul 2, 2021
Modified date: 5 days ago
Russian Armed Forces are to deploy an additional fighter squadron on the Kamchatka peninsula, according to local media.
Russia has sent a “squadron” of Sukhoi Su-35 “Flanker-E” heavy fighter jets to the 1250km-long Kamchatka peninsula located in the country’s Far East.
Bordering the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Okhotsk, Kamchatka is one of the most important outposts in the region where the interests of the United States, China and Japan collide.
Russian media said that Su-35S fighters will join MiG-31 interceptors of the Russian Pacific Fleet’s 317th Composite Aviation Regiment at Yelizovo airfield. The regiment currently operates two squadrons of MiG-31B and MiG-31BS aircraft, two squadrons of Ka-27 anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters, a squadron of Il-38 ASW aircraft, as well as Forpost and Orlan unmanned aerial vehicles, small transport aircraft, and other helicopters.
Earlier, the journalists learned that the Yelizovo airbase is expected to be seriously updated. At airbase will build concrete shelters for new combat aircraft and modernize communications and navigation systems. Work has already begun this spring.
Russia deploys Su-35S heavy fighters to Kamchatka peninsula (defence-blog.com)
northern watch
TB Fanatic
British Carrier Strike Group passes through Suez Canal
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 7, 2021
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group have passed through the Suez Canal.
The Royal Navy say here that the passage through the world famous waterway marked the end of a six-week phase of exercises and operations in the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Seas.
“The nine ships of the Carrier Strike Group between them visited eleven different European countries, drawing together presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and military leaders, as well as holding a series of events designed to support British trade and exports.
But the central purpose of the opening phase of this seven-and-a-half month deployment was to promote solidarity and cooperation with the Untied Kingdom’s NATO partners. Highlights included exercises with the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, with the Italian air force and navy, and with the combined might of Western maritime forces for Steadfast Defender, NATO’s flagship exercise for 2021.”
What is the UK Carrier Strike Group doing?
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the deployed flag ship for Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21), a deployment that will see the ship and her escorts sail to the Asia-Pacific and back.
The Carrier Strike Group includes ships from the United States Navy, the Dutch Navy, and Marines from the US Marine Corps as well as air assets from 617 Sqn, 820 NAS, 815 NAS and 845 NAS.
The Carrier Strike Group.
Not pictured above is an Astute class submarine. The Carrier Strike Group was joined in the opening phase of the deployment by HMS Artful (which returned to Gibraltar after completing the opening phase), now another Astute class submarine (HMS Astute or HMS Ambush) has joined the group as pointed out by NavyLookout on Twitter.
CSG21 will see the carrier along with her Strike Group work with over 40 countries from around the world. The Strike Group will operate and exercise with other countries Navies and Air Forces during the 7 month deployment.
Recently, the Strike Group joined coalition operations in the Eastern Mediterranean; an historic milestone as British and American F-35B strike fighters flew the first operational missions from a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, as they stood ready to strike at Daesh.
Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group, said:
“The Carrier Strike Group’s period working with our NATO partners in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Seas offers unmistakable proof that the United Kingdom’s most important overseas defence commitment remains the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. While HMS Queen Elizabeth launched counter-Daesh missions over Iraq and Syria from the Eastern Mediterranean, HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen were conducting concurrent operations 1600 miles away in the Black Sea – true strategic reach.
Meanwhile, our programme of defence engagement involved a huge amount of work in support of British Embassies and High Commissions, but from Alicante to Alexandria and Bar to Batumi, the message was the same: Britain’s friends and allies are delighted to see the Royal Navy back in town. Now we head east, towards the rising economies of the Indo-Pacific. From the Strait of Gibraltar to the Strait of Malacca, CSG21 offers unprecedented influence and engagement in support of Global Britain.”
British Carrier Strike Group passes through Suez Canal (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 7, 2021
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group have passed through the Suez Canal.
The Royal Navy say here that the passage through the world famous waterway marked the end of a six-week phase of exercises and operations in the Eastern Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Seas.
“The nine ships of the Carrier Strike Group between them visited eleven different European countries, drawing together presidents, prime ministers, diplomats and military leaders, as well as holding a series of events designed to support British trade and exports.
But the central purpose of the opening phase of this seven-and-a-half month deployment was to promote solidarity and cooperation with the Untied Kingdom’s NATO partners. Highlights included exercises with the French aircraft carrier Charles De Gaulle, with the Italian air force and navy, and with the combined might of Western maritime forces for Steadfast Defender, NATO’s flagship exercise for 2021.”
What is the UK Carrier Strike Group doing?
HMS Queen Elizabeth is the deployed flag ship for Carrier Strike Group 21 (CSG21), a deployment that will see the ship and her escorts sail to the Asia-Pacific and back.
The Carrier Strike Group includes ships from the United States Navy, the Dutch Navy, and Marines from the US Marine Corps as well as air assets from 617 Sqn, 820 NAS, 815 NAS and 845 NAS.
The Carrier Strike Group.
Not pictured above is an Astute class submarine. The Carrier Strike Group was joined in the opening phase of the deployment by HMS Artful (which returned to Gibraltar after completing the opening phase), now another Astute class submarine (HMS Astute or HMS Ambush) has joined the group as pointed out by NavyLookout on Twitter.
CSG21 will see the carrier along with her Strike Group work with over 40 countries from around the world. The Strike Group will operate and exercise with other countries Navies and Air Forces during the 7 month deployment.
Recently, the Strike Group joined coalition operations in the Eastern Mediterranean; an historic milestone as British and American F-35B strike fighters flew the first operational missions from a Queen Elizabeth-class carrier, as they stood ready to strike at Daesh.
Commodore Steve Moorhouse, Commander United Kingdom Carrier Strike Group, said:
“The Carrier Strike Group’s period working with our NATO partners in the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Black Seas offers unmistakable proof that the United Kingdom’s most important overseas defence commitment remains the security of the Euro-Atlantic region. While HMS Queen Elizabeth launched counter-Daesh missions over Iraq and Syria from the Eastern Mediterranean, HMS Defender and HNLMS Evertsen were conducting concurrent operations 1600 miles away in the Black Sea – true strategic reach.
Meanwhile, our programme of defence engagement involved a huge amount of work in support of British Embassies and High Commissions, but from Alicante to Alexandria and Bar to Batumi, the message was the same: Britain’s friends and allies are delighted to see the Royal Navy back in town. Now we head east, towards the rising economies of the Indo-Pacific. From the Strait of Gibraltar to the Strait of Malacca, CSG21 offers unprecedented influence and engagement in support of Global Britain.”
British Carrier Strike Group passes through Suez Canal (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Hummm.........
Posted for fair use.....
foreignpolicy.com
Argument
An expert's point of view on a current event.
North Korea Needs the Bomb to Protect Itself From America
Pyongyang isn’t crazy, just focused on a credible threat.
By Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un listens to US President Donald Trump (not pictured) during a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi on February 27, 2019. ( Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
July 7, 2021, 5:01 PM
North Korea “continues to enhance its ballistic missile capability and possesses the technical capacity to present a real danger to the U.S. homeland as well as our allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific,” Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told Congress. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a similar point: “We also face challenges from North Korea, a country with the ambition to be capable of striking the U.S. homeland.”
It’s true that the North is continuing to enhance its military capabilities. Before agreeing to meet with then-U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought his nation within striking distance being able to target the continental United States. Although more testing is needed to perfect a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, Pyongyang could hit American dependencies, such as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as Okinawa, Japan, which contains a Marine Expeditionary Force and many U.S. bases. (Other obvious targets of the North’s nuclear weapons are major U.S. allies, especially Seoul and Tokyo.)......
Posted for fair use.....
North Korea Needs the Bomb to Protect Itself From America
Pyongyang isn’t crazy, just focused on a credible threat.
foreignpolicy.com
Argument
An expert's point of view on a current event.
North Korea Needs the Bomb to Protect Itself From America
Pyongyang isn’t crazy, just focused on a credible threat.
By Doug Bandow, a senior fellow at the Cato Institute.
North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un listens to US President Donald Trump (not pictured) during a meeting at the Sofitel Legend Metropole hotel in Hanoi on February 27, 2019. ( Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
July 7, 2021, 5:01 PM
North Korea “continues to enhance its ballistic missile capability and possesses the technical capacity to present a real danger to the U.S. homeland as well as our allies and partners across the Indo-Pacific,” Gen. Mark Milley, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently told Congress. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a similar point: “We also face challenges from North Korea, a country with the ambition to be capable of striking the U.S. homeland.”
It’s true that the North is continuing to enhance its military capabilities. Before agreeing to meet with then-U.S. President Donald Trump, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un brought his nation within striking distance being able to target the continental United States. Although more testing is needed to perfect a North Korean intercontinental ballistic missiles, Pyongyang could hit American dependencies, such as Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, as well as Okinawa, Japan, which contains a Marine Expeditionary Force and many U.S. bases. (Other obvious targets of the North’s nuclear weapons are major U.S. allies, especially Seoul and Tokyo.)......
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
1h
#Australians fear attack from #China almost as much as #Taiwanese do, survey finds More than 4 in 10 Australians think #Chinese are coming When asked whether #Australia should send its defence forces to #Taiwan to fight for their freedom 38% agreed
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1413404144216330240?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
1h
#Australians fear attack from #China almost as much as #Taiwanese do, survey finds More than 4 in 10 Australians think #Chinese are coming When asked whether #Australia should send its defence forces to #Taiwan to fight for their freedom 38% agreed
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1413404144216330240?s=20
jward
passin' thru
China’s New Unmanned Attack Sub May Not Be What It Seems
David Hambling
Contributor
Aerospace & Defense
I'm a South London-based technology journalist, consultant and author
China has apparently declassified details of a 2010 exercise when an unmanned submarine detected, tracked and engaged a target submarine with a torpedo in the South China Sea, all without human intervention. This suggests a highly advanced capability, and disclosing it at a time of increased tension over Taiwan sends a definite signal. However, everything here may not be as it seems.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) broke the story on Wednesday , with details of work by Professor Liang Guolong and colleagues from Harbin Engineering University, “China’s top submarine research institute.” The SCMP notes that the work was declassified with the publication of a paper in the Journal of Harbin Engineering University describing the test of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Taiwan Strait.
The drone submarine carried out a pre-programmed patrol route until it encountered a target emitting sounds simulating an enemy submarine. The drone sub then went into engagement mode, leaving its patrol route, activating its sonar and directing the beam to track down the intruder.
The unmanned submarine left its patrol route to stalk and attack a target sub in this 2010 test.
Harbin Engineerng University
“One torpedo fired by the drone hit the simulated submarine,” according to the SCMP. “For safety reasons, the torpedo was not loaded.”
While this implies that a real torpedo was fired, academic researchers would not normally handle military hardware. This would usually only be used at much later engineering stages. Given that the object of the test appears to have been to validate the unmanned sub’s autonomous sensor capability, the torpedo itself may also have been simulated...though of course revealing this would make the story far less impressive.
The SCMP has previously published stories about other supposedly world-beating new Chinese technology like super-powerful military radar, a quantum computer a million times more powerful than Google's and even a laser assault rifle. This story may be a similar puffing up of basic research suggesting an actual capability.
MORE FOR YOU
3D Modeling Finds Surprising Source Of The Shots That Killed Iranian Nuclear Scientist
Mystery Deepens Around Unmanned Spy Boat Washed Up In Scotland (Updated)
China Releases Video Of New Barrage Swarm Drone Launcher
Another reason for caution is that the paper referred to does not appear to be in the current listing of Journal of Harbin Engineering University as claimed, or any previous issues, and searches of other Chinse journals did not turn up any similar paper. The South China Morning Post has not responded to Forbes request for comment or clarification.
Professor Liang Guolong does have a track record the field of underwater sound engineering though. He published a paper in 2018 (eight years after the supposed test) describing a new sonar suitable for unmanned underwater vehicles. This uses a smart, self-adjusting, self-steering arrangement to replace the human sonar operator sign their skill to pick out traces of a target vessel and point the sonar in the right direction. However, the 2018 paper describes a relatively unsophisticated capability compared to the complete end-to-end engagement in the phantom new paper. Current work may be at a much earlier stage than the SCMP report suggests.
David Strachan, Senior Analyst of Strikepod Systems, notes that great power competition often involves revealing new information to keep your adversary off balance but without giving away too much, and this places the story in some doubt.
“A capability like this would be significant, and, if true, presumably not something Beijing would want to reveal,” says Strachan. ”In general, undersea warfare capabilities are some of the most closely guarded secrets by navies worldwide, so why Beijing would choose to reveal this is a bit of a mystery, and quite honestly calls into question the veracity of the claim.”
On the other hand though, China certainly does have existing unmanned underwater weapons.
Chinese HSU-001 Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicles seen at the 70th anniversary ... [+]
CCTV-4
“What some may not realize is that China has had the capability to autonomously detect, identify, classify, and engage undersea targets for decades in the form of multi-influence sea mines, including encapsulated torpedo mines,” says Strachan.
These are the Chinese equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s new Hammerhead mine which lies on the sea bed and uses sonar and other sensors to track vessels and submarines. When it spots an approved target, it fires a Mark 54 Lightweight homing torpedo. A mobile UUV would represent a real stepping up of this capability.
China is developing large and possibly torpedo-armed robot submarines, but none were known to be in service back in 2010. A 2019 military parade included trucks carrying previously-unseen HSU-001 autonomous underwater vehicles, these Chinese version of the Boeing Orca XLUUV which has been under development since 2017.
It is worth noting that the U.S. is also working on the sort of sort of capability that the Chinese claim to have developed. Under a classified project known as CLAWS, unmanned subs will have AI capable of evading opponents, finding targets and deploying “kinetic effects” (such as torpedoes) against them.
Naturally, such developments raise serious questions about autonomous weapons choosing their own targets. But as this is what sea mines already do, the debate in the underwater realm is much less contentious.
“How close is China to operationalizing a viable, combat-capable XLUUV?” asks Strachan. ”Given the complexity of the operating environment, and the myriad issues surrounding autonomy and artificial intelligence, I’m inclined to believe that it remains elusive.”
The release comes at a time of increased tension and increased Chinese rhetoric and military operations near Taiwan, and when the UK. is sending its new aircraft carrier to the region in a move decried by the SCMP. It cannot be a coincidence that the SCMP report mentions that the test took place "in or near the Taiwan Strait.”
Strachan notes the secrecy that surrounds the U.S. and U.K efforts to develop large fully autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles capable of carrying torpedoes or mines. When they do develop this kind of capability, he says the one thing that is certain is that they will not publicize it.
www.forbes.com
David Hambling
Contributor
Aerospace & Defense
I'm a South London-based technology journalist, consultant and author
China has apparently declassified details of a 2010 exercise when an unmanned submarine detected, tracked and engaged a target submarine with a torpedo in the South China Sea, all without human intervention. This suggests a highly advanced capability, and disclosing it at a time of increased tension over Taiwan sends a definite signal. However, everything here may not be as it seems.
The South China Morning Post (SCMP) broke the story on Wednesday , with details of work by Professor Liang Guolong and colleagues from Harbin Engineering University, “China’s top submarine research institute.” The SCMP notes that the work was declassified with the publication of a paper in the Journal of Harbin Engineering University describing the test of an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV) in the Taiwan Strait.
The drone submarine carried out a pre-programmed patrol route until it encountered a target emitting sounds simulating an enemy submarine. The drone sub then went into engagement mode, leaving its patrol route, activating its sonar and directing the beam to track down the intruder.
The unmanned submarine left its patrol route to stalk and attack a target sub in this 2010 test.
Harbin Engineerng University
“One torpedo fired by the drone hit the simulated submarine,” according to the SCMP. “For safety reasons, the torpedo was not loaded.”
While this implies that a real torpedo was fired, academic researchers would not normally handle military hardware. This would usually only be used at much later engineering stages. Given that the object of the test appears to have been to validate the unmanned sub’s autonomous sensor capability, the torpedo itself may also have been simulated...though of course revealing this would make the story far less impressive.
The SCMP has previously published stories about other supposedly world-beating new Chinese technology like super-powerful military radar, a quantum computer a million times more powerful than Google's and even a laser assault rifle. This story may be a similar puffing up of basic research suggesting an actual capability.
MORE FOR YOU
3D Modeling Finds Surprising Source Of The Shots That Killed Iranian Nuclear Scientist
Mystery Deepens Around Unmanned Spy Boat Washed Up In Scotland (Updated)
China Releases Video Of New Barrage Swarm Drone Launcher
Another reason for caution is that the paper referred to does not appear to be in the current listing of Journal of Harbin Engineering University as claimed, or any previous issues, and searches of other Chinse journals did not turn up any similar paper. The South China Morning Post has not responded to Forbes request for comment or clarification.
Professor Liang Guolong does have a track record the field of underwater sound engineering though. He published a paper in 2018 (eight years after the supposed test) describing a new sonar suitable for unmanned underwater vehicles. This uses a smart, self-adjusting, self-steering arrangement to replace the human sonar operator sign their skill to pick out traces of a target vessel and point the sonar in the right direction. However, the 2018 paper describes a relatively unsophisticated capability compared to the complete end-to-end engagement in the phantom new paper. Current work may be at a much earlier stage than the SCMP report suggests.
David Strachan, Senior Analyst of Strikepod Systems, notes that great power competition often involves revealing new information to keep your adversary off balance but without giving away too much, and this places the story in some doubt.
“A capability like this would be significant, and, if true, presumably not something Beijing would want to reveal,” says Strachan. ”In general, undersea warfare capabilities are some of the most closely guarded secrets by navies worldwide, so why Beijing would choose to reveal this is a bit of a mystery, and quite honestly calls into question the veracity of the claim.”
On the other hand though, China certainly does have existing unmanned underwater weapons.
Chinese HSU-001 Large Displacement Unmanned Underwater Vehicles seen at the 70th anniversary ... [+]
CCTV-4
“What some may not realize is that China has had the capability to autonomously detect, identify, classify, and engage undersea targets for decades in the form of multi-influence sea mines, including encapsulated torpedo mines,” says Strachan.
These are the Chinese equivalent to the U.S. Navy’s new Hammerhead mine which lies on the sea bed and uses sonar and other sensors to track vessels and submarines. When it spots an approved target, it fires a Mark 54 Lightweight homing torpedo. A mobile UUV would represent a real stepping up of this capability.
China is developing large and possibly torpedo-armed robot submarines, but none were known to be in service back in 2010. A 2019 military parade included trucks carrying previously-unseen HSU-001 autonomous underwater vehicles, these Chinese version of the Boeing Orca XLUUV which has been under development since 2017.
It is worth noting that the U.S. is also working on the sort of sort of capability that the Chinese claim to have developed. Under a classified project known as CLAWS, unmanned subs will have AI capable of evading opponents, finding targets and deploying “kinetic effects” (such as torpedoes) against them.
Naturally, such developments raise serious questions about autonomous weapons choosing their own targets. But as this is what sea mines already do, the debate in the underwater realm is much less contentious.
“How close is China to operationalizing a viable, combat-capable XLUUV?” asks Strachan. ”Given the complexity of the operating environment, and the myriad issues surrounding autonomy and artificial intelligence, I’m inclined to believe that it remains elusive.”
The release comes at a time of increased tension and increased Chinese rhetoric and military operations near Taiwan, and when the UK. is sending its new aircraft carrier to the region in a move decried by the SCMP. It cannot be a coincidence that the SCMP report mentions that the test took place "in or near the Taiwan Strait.”
Strachan notes the secrecy that surrounds the U.S. and U.K efforts to develop large fully autonomous unmanned underwater vehicles capable of carrying torpedoes or mines. When they do develop this kind of capability, he says the one thing that is certain is that they will not publicize it.
China’s New Unmanned Attack Sub May Not Be What It Seems (Update: In Fact It’s A Paper Tiger)
Chinese reports describe a newly declassified 2010 exercise in which an unmanned submarine tracked, stalked and fired a torpedo at a mock enemy sub. However, there are good reasons not to take the report at face value.
www.forbes.com
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
#SouthChinaSea: #Chinese coastguard ships, warplanes engaged in ‘parallel escalation’ off #Malaysia Chinese coastguard ships ‘harassed’ Malaysian vessels near the Kasawari gas field An earlier patrol by 16 Chinese aircraft, was likely not a coincidence
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1413491397114482697?s=20
jward
passin' thru
South Korean Intelligence Says Kim Jong Un Likely Lost Over 40 Pounds In Short Span
National Intelligence Service weighs in on widespread health speculation...
SAT JUL 10, AT 11:00 AM
www.zerohedge.com
National Intelligence Service weighs in on widespread health speculation...
SAT JUL 10, AT 11:00 AM
Zerohedge
ZeroHedge - On a long enough timeline, the survival rate for everyone drops to zero
www.zerohedge.com
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
3m
#China Tested An AI-Controlled Submarine-Hunting Underwater Drone A Decade Ago: Report Reports suggest that China may have been testing a torpedo-armed underwater drone able to detect, track, and attack enemy submarines back in 2010.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1414181177393500167?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
3m
#China Tested An AI-Controlled Submarine-Hunting Underwater Drone A Decade Ago: Report Reports suggest that China may have been testing a torpedo-armed underwater drone able to detect, track, and attack enemy submarines back in 2010.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1414181177393500167?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Dominik P. Jankowski
@dpjankowski
A must read (not only for arms control wonks):
@MichaelaTHF
& K. B. Payne on why a non-aggressive conception of "strategic stability" doesn't comport w/ & expressed goals, doctrine & force deployments. It is time to redefine strategic stabilityhttps://bit.ly/3hxtJQ0
View: https://twitter.com/dpjankowski/status/1414200795592015879?s=20
@dpjankowski
A must read (not only for arms control wonks):
@MichaelaTHF
& K. B. Payne on why a non-aggressive conception of "strategic stability" doesn't comport w/ & expressed goals, doctrine & force deployments. It is time to redefine strategic stabilityhttps://bit.ly/3hxtJQ0
View: https://twitter.com/dpjankowski/status/1414200795592015879?s=20
jward
passin' thru
First Squawk
@FirstSquawk
CHINA MILITARY SAYS U.S. WARSHIP ILLEGALLY ENTERED WATERS NEAR THE PARACEL ISLANDS IN SOUTH CHINA SEA ON JULY 12
Replying to
@FirstSquawk
According to
@SCS_PI
data, it is probably USNS Victorious (T-AGOS-19), an ocean surveillance ship assigned to Military Sealift Command (MSC) Special Missions Program.
View: https://twitter.com/vcdgf555/status/1414447311640424455?s=20
Should also note that within the past 5 days,
@SCS_PI
has also observed the presence of two US Navy Independence-class LCSs in the South China Sea.
View: https://twitter.com/vcdgf555/status/1414451312628879363?s=20
jward
passin' thru
7th Fleet
@US7thFleet
#USSBenfold conducted a #FreedomofNavigation Operation near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law, challenging unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by claimants. #FreeandOpenIndoPacific
@US7thFleet
#USSBenfold conducted a #FreedomofNavigation Operation near the Paracel Islands, consistent with international law, challenging unlawful restrictions on innocent passage imposed by claimants. #FreeandOpenIndoPacific
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
2m
Why #China has control of Darwin port during trade war with #Australia Despite evidence of Landbridge’s links to the Chinese Communist Party & the #Chinese military, the lease of the port remained a minor domestic political issue until the pandemic.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1414551859474231296?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
2m
Why #China has control of Darwin port during trade war with #Australia Despite evidence of Landbridge’s links to the Chinese Communist Party & the #Chinese military, the lease of the port remained a minor domestic political issue until the pandemic.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1414551859474231296?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Ryan Chan 陳家翹
@ryankakiuchan
Some interesting graphics from the latest version opf Japan Defense White Paper. Range of Chinese ballistic missiles.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414861734540562433?s=20
Chinese military activities around Japan and in Western Pacific.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414861900714631168?s=20
Numbers of Chinese submarines, destroyers, and 4th & 5th generation fighter jets.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414862230177288196?s=20
@ryankakiuchan
Some interesting graphics from the latest version opf Japan Defense White Paper. Range of Chinese ballistic missiles.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414861734540562433?s=20
Chinese military activities around Japan and in Western Pacific.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414861900714631168?s=20
Numbers of Chinese submarines, destroyers, and 4th & 5th generation fighter jets.
View: https://twitter.com/ryankakiuchan/status/1414862230177288196?s=20
northern watch
TB Fanatic
China begins military flights from disputed South China Sea bases
AWACs, surveillance planes on two reef bases signal routine PLA air operations from Spratlys
n this undated photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China’s state broadcaster showed on Sunday, May 7, 2017, navy fighter bombers taking part in exercises over the South China Sea, including one involving the detection and expulsion of foreign military surveillance aircraft such as those deployed regularly in the area by the U.S. and others. The video shown on CCTV’s military channel shows a squadron of two-seater Xian JH-7 Flying Leopards flying in formation and dropping bombs on targets in the ocean below. (Liu Rui/Xinhua via AP, File)
By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times - Updated: 5:14 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021
China’s military recently deployed electronic warning and surveillance aircraft and helicopters on two disputed islands in the South China Sea in what analysts say is a sign the People’s Liberation Army has begun routine air operations from the bases.
Satellite images obtained by The Washington Times show deployments in May and June of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. Other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef in June and this month.
In 2020, KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare aircraft also were deployed on a third island base on Fiery Cross Reef.
In the past, military aircraft made occasional stops at the bases that were built since 2013 as part of a major campaign by the Chinese military to expand power and protect its broad claims to sovereignty over the strategic waterway.
The two reefs are part of a triangle of South China Sea military bases China equipped with advanced missiles in 2018 – contrary to what U.S. officials said was a pledge by President Xi Jinping not to militarize the islands that are claimed by China and several other regional states.
The bases can house all types of warplanes and bombers and contain docking facilities capable of handling most Chinese warships.
Satellite imagery of the military aircraft was obtained by J. Michael Dahm, a former Navy intelligence officer currently with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, known as APL.
“The most significant change in military posture in 2021 is the appearance of Chinese special mission aircraft and helicopters at Subi and Mischief Reefs, indicating the PLA may have commenced routine air operations from those airfields,” Mr. Dahm said in an interview.
The PLA deployments were discovered following earlier publication of a research report by Mr. Dahm that reveals the locations of anti-aircraft, anti-ship and land-attack strike missiles on three of China’s seven island-reefs, including Mischief and Subi Reefs.
Using commercial satellite imagery, the report identified PLA missile emplacements on both reefs as well as on both ends of Fiery Cross Reef, the third of the Spratly Islands.
The three islands have 9,000-foot runways capable of handling all types of military aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers. They are part of seven small islands and reefs in the Spratlys that are central to Beijing’s effort to establish military control over the South China Sea.
“The island-reefs fill critical gaps in PLA Navy capabilities in the South China Sea, especially in terms of reconnaissance and air power, until China’s aircraft carrier program matures,” Mr. Dahm said.
Strike fighters, surveillance aircraft and island-based anti-surface and anti-air missile systems “will likely be employed to cover and defend Chinese naval forces, giving them the ability to project military power deep into the South China Sea and Southeast Asia,” he added.
Tangled claims
The Spratlys are claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia, but have been dominated since 2018 by China and its bases.
Tensions escalated in the sea this week as a Chinese warship tried — unsuccessfully according to the U.S. Navy — to force the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold to leave areas near the Paracel Islands in the northern part of the South China Sea.
Beijing officials on Monday also denounced a statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailing the five-year anniversary of an international tribunal ruling that ruled against China’s claim to own 90% of the sea under the so-called “Nine-Dash Line” boundary.
Mr. Blinken reaffirmed Sunday a year-old policy shift announcing that any Chinese military attack on Philippines military or civilian vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea would trigger the U.S.-Philippines defense treaty.
The APL report was published in March and provides the first public details on Chinese missile emplacements based on open-source information.
The missiles are part of what the report called a PLA war plan to “gain and maintain information control in a military conflict.”
In 2018, Adm. Philip Davidson, then-commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress that China’s military buildup on the disputed islands had changed the balance of power in a waterway that sees some $5 trillion annually in global trade pass through.
“In short, China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States,” Adm. Davidson bluntly said at the time.
Since then, the Pentagon has stepped up both Navy warship passages and aerial surveillance flights in the South China Sea in a bid to contest Chinese maritime claims.
The APL report states that “the island-reefs have already been weaponized with significant information capabilities – command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.”
The report states that Chinese warships deployed in the regions provide a larger number of missiles than those deployed on the islands and the main strategic benefit of the island bases is for surveillance and coordination of forces in a military conflict.
Most of the arms on the islands are road-mobile and movable, including mobile missiles, large aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters.
Other reports have identified deployments in the Spratlys of advanced HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles and YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reef in 2018.
“The island reefs are equipped to provide the PLA with superior battlespace awareness and a decided information advantage in any future military conflict in the South China Sea,” the APL report said.
Each of the three airfields at the major islands are equipped with 24 aircraft hangers designed for jet fighters, a regiment of warplanes.
The report also warns that China could deploy, anti-ship ballistic missiles to the islands.
Mr. Dahm said no major changes to the infrastructure to the military appear to have been made since 2018, based on the commercial satellite images.
“The major island-reefs — Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs — are large enough to accommodate virtually any mobile weapon system or aircraft in the PLA inventory,” he said. “Vehicles have been seen moving around the three major island-reefs, but commercial satellite imagery has been unable to identify these as weapons, reconnaissance systems or simply transport trucks.”
Mr. Dahm said AWACs aircraft were spotted on Mischief Reef several times in May and June. A Y-9 transport and a Z-8 helicopter were seen on Subi Reef in June and this month.
An AWACs, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, KJ-200 anti-submarine aircraft and Z-8 were first seen operating from Fiery Cross Reef in May 2020.
Mr. Dahm said one concern is the increasing range of the Chinese weapons that can be based on the newly militarized islands.
“Essentially, the PLA can strike at long-range before those Chinese weapons can be attacked by an enemy,” he said. “To address a range disparity with Chinese forces, U.S. and allied militaries must either rapidly develop new, long-range strike capabilities, or develop tactics to maneuver within range of Chinese targets without being detected and struck first by long-range PLA weapons.”
Integrating for war
Mr. Dahm said the significant military strike weapons on the islands are part of an integrated network of military systems.
“This evolving system-of-systems includes a growing fleet of ships, mainland-based aircraft and space-based capabilities,” he said.
Phillip Orchard is an analyst at Geopolitical Futures, a consulting group, said the Chinese bases in the sea provide Beijing strategists with key military outposts.
“The surveillance, communications and logistics capabilities they house make it easier than ever for legions of Chinese vessels to occupy disputed areas in perpetuity, swiftly overwhelm interlopers, and assert de facto control over the waters and marine resources claimed by others,” Mr. Orchard wrote in a report for Geopolitical Futures.
“But in an actual, prolonged conflict with the U.S. and its allies, the tactical value of the Spratlys would rapidly diminish,” he stated.
China‘s moves could spark a reaction not just from the U.S., but from other countries in East Asia worried about its expansionist drive.
“If China‘s ‘salami-slicing’ campaign pushes the Philippines, in particular, to throw in fully with the U.S., China‘s biggest strategic challenge — the threat of a U.S.-led blockade — will become an order of magnitude more difficult to solve.”
Earlier this year, China massed several hundred vessels from the maritime militia — a lightly armed fishing fleet that supports the Chinese navy — were seen deployed around reefs in the Spratlys near the Philippines.
Chinese coast guard ships also have been harassing Philippines patrol boats near Scarborough Shoal further north.
“The show of force illustrates how the seven artificial island bases that China has built in the Spratlys since 2013 can be put to good use in scenarios short of war,” Mr. Orchard said.
Beijing believes its control of the disputed islands will be important in a future conflict in the region.
“More important is the role they could play in cementing Chinese dominance of the Western Pacific without fighting at all,” Mr. Orchard said.
But the purely military value of the island bases is questionable, according to Mr. Orchard, since they are not located close to key chokepoints that could be used by the Navy and regional allies to close off vital sea lanes used by China.
The bases also could be easy targets for current and future medium- and long-range strike missiles in the U.S. arsenal, he said.
China begins military flights from disputed South China Sea bases - Washington Times
AWACs, surveillance planes on two reef bases signal routine PLA air operations from Spratlys
n this undated photo released by Xinhua News Agency, a Chinese H-6K bomber patrols the islands and reefs in the South China Sea. China’s state broadcaster showed on Sunday, May 7, 2017, navy fighter bombers taking part in exercises over the South China Sea, including one involving the detection and expulsion of foreign military surveillance aircraft such as those deployed regularly in the area by the U.S. and others. The video shown on CCTV’s military channel shows a squadron of two-seater Xian JH-7 Flying Leopards flying in formation and dropping bombs on targets in the ocean below. (Liu Rui/Xinhua via AP, File)
By Bill Gertz - The Washington Times - Updated: 5:14 p.m. on Tuesday, July 13, 2021
China’s military recently deployed electronic warning and surveillance aircraft and helicopters on two disputed islands in the South China Sea in what analysts say is a sign the People’s Liberation Army has begun routine air operations from the bases.
Satellite images obtained by The Washington Times show deployments in May and June of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. Other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef in June and this month.
In 2020, KQ-200 anti-submarine warfare aircraft also were deployed on a third island base on Fiery Cross Reef.
In the past, military aircraft made occasional stops at the bases that were built since 2013 as part of a major campaign by the Chinese military to expand power and protect its broad claims to sovereignty over the strategic waterway.
The two reefs are part of a triangle of South China Sea military bases China equipped with advanced missiles in 2018 – contrary to what U.S. officials said was a pledge by President Xi Jinping not to militarize the islands that are claimed by China and several other regional states.
The bases can house all types of warplanes and bombers and contain docking facilities capable of handling most Chinese warships.
Satellite imagery of the military aircraft was obtained by J. Michael Dahm, a former Navy intelligence officer currently with Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, known as APL.
“The most significant change in military posture in 2021 is the appearance of Chinese special mission aircraft and helicopters at Subi and Mischief Reefs, indicating the PLA may have commenced routine air operations from those airfields,” Mr. Dahm said in an interview.
The PLA deployments were discovered following earlier publication of a research report by Mr. Dahm that reveals the locations of anti-aircraft, anti-ship and land-attack strike missiles on three of China’s seven island-reefs, including Mischief and Subi Reefs.
Using commercial satellite imagery, the report identified PLA missile emplacements on both reefs as well as on both ends of Fiery Cross Reef, the third of the Spratly Islands.
The three islands have 9,000-foot runways capable of handling all types of military aircraft, including nuclear-capable H-6 bombers. They are part of seven small islands and reefs in the Spratlys that are central to Beijing’s effort to establish military control over the South China Sea.
“The island-reefs fill critical gaps in PLA Navy capabilities in the South China Sea, especially in terms of reconnaissance and air power, until China’s aircraft carrier program matures,” Mr. Dahm said.
Strike fighters, surveillance aircraft and island-based anti-surface and anti-air missile systems “will likely be employed to cover and defend Chinese naval forces, giving them the ability to project military power deep into the South China Sea and Southeast Asia,” he added.
Tangled claims
The Spratlys are claimed by China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia, but have been dominated since 2018 by China and its bases.
Tensions escalated in the sea this week as a Chinese warship tried — unsuccessfully according to the U.S. Navy — to force the guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold to leave areas near the Paracel Islands in the northern part of the South China Sea.
Beijing officials on Monday also denounced a statement by Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailing the five-year anniversary of an international tribunal ruling that ruled against China’s claim to own 90% of the sea under the so-called “Nine-Dash Line” boundary.
Mr. Blinken reaffirmed Sunday a year-old policy shift announcing that any Chinese military attack on Philippines military or civilian vessels or aircraft in the South China Sea would trigger the U.S.-Philippines defense treaty.
The APL report was published in March and provides the first public details on Chinese missile emplacements based on open-source information.
The missiles are part of what the report called a PLA war plan to “gain and maintain information control in a military conflict.”
In 2018, Adm. Philip Davidson, then-commander of the Indo-Pacific Command, told Congress that China’s military buildup on the disputed islands had changed the balance of power in a waterway that sees some $5 trillion annually in global trade pass through.
“In short, China is now capable of controlling the South China Sea in all scenarios short of war with the United States,” Adm. Davidson bluntly said at the time.
Since then, the Pentagon has stepped up both Navy warship passages and aerial surveillance flights in the South China Sea in a bid to contest Chinese maritime claims.
The APL report states that “the island-reefs have already been weaponized with significant information capabilities – command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance.”
The report states that Chinese warships deployed in the regions provide a larger number of missiles than those deployed on the islands and the main strategic benefit of the island bases is for surveillance and coordination of forces in a military conflict.
Most of the arms on the islands are road-mobile and movable, including mobile missiles, large aircraft, fighter jets and helicopters.
Other reports have identified deployments in the Spratlys of advanced HQ-9 surface-to-air missiles and YJ-12 anti-ship cruise missiles on Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reef in 2018.
“The island reefs are equipped to provide the PLA with superior battlespace awareness and a decided information advantage in any future military conflict in the South China Sea,” the APL report said.
Each of the three airfields at the major islands are equipped with 24 aircraft hangers designed for jet fighters, a regiment of warplanes.
The report also warns that China could deploy, anti-ship ballistic missiles to the islands.
Mr. Dahm said no major changes to the infrastructure to the military appear to have been made since 2018, based on the commercial satellite images.
“The major island-reefs — Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs — are large enough to accommodate virtually any mobile weapon system or aircraft in the PLA inventory,” he said. “Vehicles have been seen moving around the three major island-reefs, but commercial satellite imagery has been unable to identify these as weapons, reconnaissance systems or simply transport trucks.”
Mr. Dahm said AWACs aircraft were spotted on Mischief Reef several times in May and June. A Y-9 transport and a Z-8 helicopter were seen on Subi Reef in June and this month.
An AWACs, KJ-500 surveillance aircraft, KJ-200 anti-submarine aircraft and Z-8 were first seen operating from Fiery Cross Reef in May 2020.
Mr. Dahm said one concern is the increasing range of the Chinese weapons that can be based on the newly militarized islands.
“Essentially, the PLA can strike at long-range before those Chinese weapons can be attacked by an enemy,” he said. “To address a range disparity with Chinese forces, U.S. and allied militaries must either rapidly develop new, long-range strike capabilities, or develop tactics to maneuver within range of Chinese targets without being detected and struck first by long-range PLA weapons.”
Integrating for war
Mr. Dahm said the significant military strike weapons on the islands are part of an integrated network of military systems.
“This evolving system-of-systems includes a growing fleet of ships, mainland-based aircraft and space-based capabilities,” he said.
Phillip Orchard is an analyst at Geopolitical Futures, a consulting group, said the Chinese bases in the sea provide Beijing strategists with key military outposts.
“The surveillance, communications and logistics capabilities they house make it easier than ever for legions of Chinese vessels to occupy disputed areas in perpetuity, swiftly overwhelm interlopers, and assert de facto control over the waters and marine resources claimed by others,” Mr. Orchard wrote in a report for Geopolitical Futures.
“But in an actual, prolonged conflict with the U.S. and its allies, the tactical value of the Spratlys would rapidly diminish,” he stated.
China‘s moves could spark a reaction not just from the U.S., but from other countries in East Asia worried about its expansionist drive.
“If China‘s ‘salami-slicing’ campaign pushes the Philippines, in particular, to throw in fully with the U.S., China‘s biggest strategic challenge — the threat of a U.S.-led blockade — will become an order of magnitude more difficult to solve.”
Earlier this year, China massed several hundred vessels from the maritime militia — a lightly armed fishing fleet that supports the Chinese navy — were seen deployed around reefs in the Spratlys near the Philippines.
Chinese coast guard ships also have been harassing Philippines patrol boats near Scarborough Shoal further north.
“The show of force illustrates how the seven artificial island bases that China has built in the Spratlys since 2013 can be put to good use in scenarios short of war,” Mr. Orchard said.
Beijing believes its control of the disputed islands will be important in a future conflict in the region.
“More important is the role they could play in cementing Chinese dominance of the Western Pacific without fighting at all,” Mr. Orchard said.
But the purely military value of the island bases is questionable, according to Mr. Orchard, since they are not located close to key chokepoints that could be used by the Navy and regional allies to close off vital sea lanes used by China.
The bases also could be easy targets for current and future medium- and long-range strike missiles in the U.S. arsenal, he said.
China begins military flights from disputed South China Sea bases - Washington Times
Last edited:
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Reader Comments from my last post
beanbag58
4 hours ago
The Communist Chinese know their time is now with a weak and feckless Democrat, who is owned by Chairman Xi, in the WH.
W
3 hours ago
Does the U.S. take on China now, or do we wait until they have completed their plan to maximize their military power and take the whole China Sea? A weakened U.S. against a China that has mustered all of their military power could be a disaster for U.S. troops. The wolves are circling the sheep.
Roger
4 hours ago
It is long past time for us to give nuclear weapons to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan so that they can defend themselves against North Korea and the People's Republic of China.
beanbag58
4 hours ago
The Communist Chinese know their time is now with a weak and feckless Democrat, who is owned by Chairman Xi, in the WH.
W
3 hours ago
Does the U.S. take on China now, or do we wait until they have completed their plan to maximize their military power and take the whole China Sea? A weakened U.S. against a China that has mustered all of their military power could be a disaster for U.S. troops. The wolves are circling the sheep.
Roger
4 hours ago
It is long past time for us to give nuclear weapons to Taiwan, South Korea and Japan so that they can defend themselves against North Korea and the People's Republic of China.
jward
passin' thru
Hmm. Give??
Anyway, while we're "giving" Australia would like a breeding pair of B-21s. They said Please, even
Australian Aviation
@ausaviation
The B21 is expected to be the world’s most advanced, cost-effective long-range strike capability. Australia must make the case to our US allies to procure it, writes Liam Garman.
Anyway, while we're "giving" Australia would like a breeding pair of B-21s. They said Please, even
Australian Aviation
@ausaviation
The B21 is expected to be the world’s most advanced, cost-effective long-range strike capability. Australia must make the case to our US allies to procure it, writes Liam Garman.
jward
passin' thru
hmm...
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
#Japan removes #Taiwan from #China map in defense white paper In its "Defense of Japan" white paper published on July 13, Japan's Ministry of Defense removed Taiwan from a map of China for the first time. In previous years, they were merged as one. https://taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4248204
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415527207879864322?s=20
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
#Japan removes #Taiwan from #China map in defense white paper In its "Defense of Japan" white paper published on July 13, Japan's Ministry of Defense removed Taiwan from a map of China for the first time. In previous years, they were merged as one. https://taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/4248204
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415527207879864322?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Defence Blog
@Defence_blog
4m
U.S. Air Force sent group of B-52 bombers to Indo-Pacific
View: https://twitter.com/Defence_blog/status/1415624986975522819?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Open Nuclear Network
@OpenNuclear
ONN analyst Tianran Xu spotted new construction activity around #NorthKorea's oldest carrier rocket & #ballisticmissile launch site, the Tonghae Satellite Launching Ground. ONN's new monitoring reporthttps://bit.ly/3hD0tqS
https://twitter.com/OpenNuclear/status/1415584974355505152?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
EXCLUSIVE: #China begins military flights from disputed #SouthChinaSea bases AWACs, surveillance planes on two reef bases signal routine #PLA air operations from Spratlys So much for Xi's promise to Obama to not militarize the islands...........
2/ China’s military recently deployed electronic warning and surveillance aircraft and helicopters on two disputed islands in the South China Sea in what analysts say is a sign that the People’s Liberation Army has begun routine air operations from the bases. 3/ Satellite images show deployments in May and June of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. Other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef in June and this month.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415614642945093636?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
EXCLUSIVE: #China begins military flights from disputed #SouthChinaSea bases AWACs, surveillance planes on two reef bases signal routine #PLA air operations from Spratlys So much for Xi's promise to Obama to not militarize the islands...........
2/ China’s military recently deployed electronic warning and surveillance aircraft and helicopters on two disputed islands in the South China Sea in what analysts say is a sign that the People’s Liberation Army has begun routine air operations from the bases. 3/ Satellite images show deployments in May and June of PLA KJ-500 airborne warning and control aircraft to Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands. Other satellite photos showed the stationing of a Y-9 transport aircraft and Z-8 helicopter to Subi Reef in June and this month.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415614642945093636?s=20
northern watch
TB Fanatic
US Air Force Plane Makes Unannounced Landing In Taiwan, Outraging Beijing
BY TYLER DURDEN
ZERO HEDGE
THURSDAY, JUL 15, 2021 - 05:40 PM
On Thursday a United States Air Force plane briefly touched down an Taipei's international airport, enraging China over what it perceives as another severe violation of the 'One China' policy, also coming a month after a group of US Senators visited Taiwan in a large military cargo plane.
The US initially didn't explain why the short stop happened, which was described in local media reports as "unannounced". It prompted a statement out of Beijing saying "Any foreign military planes landing in Taiwan need China’s approval," according to Bloomberg citing a defense ministry official statement.
US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III with US senators arriving at Songshan Airport in Taipei on June 6, via Reuters.
The Chinese statement reiterated prior warnings that the United States must "not play with fire" and to "immediately stop its risky and provocative actions." The defense ministry statement also vowed to destroy any "attempts" toward "Taiwan "independence".
The scant details of Thursday's incident were reported in regional media as follows:
And the South China Morning Post later confirmed it was related to US diplomatic personnel changing stations. "The United States has sent a military plane to Taipei on an apparent courier mission to aid the changeover of personnel, a fresh sign of a deepening relationship with the self-ruled island despite a warning from Beijing, which claims sovereignty of Taiwan," SCMP reported.
"The American stopover on Thursday came as the former US de facto ambassador Brent Christensen finished a three-year term and left the island," the report said. Regardless of the reason, Beijing denounced the stop, saying "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and any foreign military aircraft landing on Chinese territory must obtain the permission of the Chinese government," according to defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian.
"We warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities not to misjudge the situation, provoke secessionism by allying with external forces, which will only lead Taiwan into a dangerous situation, Wu said, noting the PLA will stay on high alert, take any necessary measure to crush Taiwan secessionists' conspiracies," the Chinese government statement said.
US Air Force Plane Makes Unannounced Landing In Taiwan, Outraging Beijing | ZeroHedge
BY TYLER DURDEN
ZERO HEDGE
THURSDAY, JUL 15, 2021 - 05:40 PM
On Thursday a United States Air Force plane briefly touched down an Taipei's international airport, enraging China over what it perceives as another severe violation of the 'One China' policy, also coming a month after a group of US Senators visited Taiwan in a large military cargo plane.
The US initially didn't explain why the short stop happened, which was described in local media reports as "unannounced". It prompted a statement out of Beijing saying "Any foreign military planes landing in Taiwan need China’s approval," according to Bloomberg citing a defense ministry official statement.
US Air Force C-17 Globemaster III with US senators arriving at Songshan Airport in Taipei on June 6, via Reuters.
The Chinese statement reiterated prior warnings that the United States must "not play with fire" and to "immediately stop its risky and provocative actions." The defense ministry statement also vowed to destroy any "attempts" toward "Taiwan "independence".
The scant details of Thursday's incident were reported in regional media as follows:
It was later revealed to be a small aircraft, reported in Chinese state-run Global Times as "A US C-146A Wolfhound" which "landed at Taipei Songshan Airport on Thursday morning and took off after 34 minutes."
And the South China Morning Post later confirmed it was related to US diplomatic personnel changing stations. "The United States has sent a military plane to Taipei on an apparent courier mission to aid the changeover of personnel, a fresh sign of a deepening relationship with the self-ruled island despite a warning from Beijing, which claims sovereignty of Taiwan," SCMP reported.
"The American stopover on Thursday came as the former US de facto ambassador Brent Christensen finished a three-year term and left the island," the report said. Regardless of the reason, Beijing denounced the stop, saying "Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and any foreign military aircraft landing on Chinese territory must obtain the permission of the Chinese government," according to defense ministry spokesperson Wu Qian.
"We warned the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) authorities not to misjudge the situation, provoke secessionism by allying with external forces, which will only lead Taiwan into a dangerous situation, Wu said, noting the PLA will stay on high alert, take any necessary measure to crush Taiwan secessionists' conspiracies," the Chinese government statement said.
US Air Force Plane Makes Unannounced Landing In Taiwan, Outraging Beijing | ZeroHedge
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northern watch
TB Fanatic
Peace in our time, is a dangerous illusion!
jward
passin' thru
Duan Dang
@duandang
21m
China to conduct major military exercises in the East China Sea amid rising tensions with Taiwan and Japan.
View: https://twitter.com/duandang/status/1415881995016491009?s=20
@duandang
21m
China to conduct major military exercises in the East China Sea amid rising tensions with Taiwan and Japan.
View: https://twitter.com/duandang/status/1415881995016491009?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
4m
#US to sanction #Chinese officials & warn companies over #HongKong The US is preparing to impose sanctions on Friday on a number of Chinese officials over Beijing's crackdown on democracy in HK, & warn firms operating there about deteriorating conditions.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415974702858661889?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
13m
#US Air Force to send dozens of F-22 fighter jets to the Pacific amid tensions with #China The US is sending 25 F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the Pacific this month, an unusually large deployment that sends a strong message to China.
Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii this week said approximately 25 F-22s Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard and from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will deploy this month to Guam and Tinian islands for Operation Pacific Iron 2021.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415982497418989573?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
13m
#US Air Force to send dozens of F-22 fighter jets to the Pacific amid tensions with #China The US is sending 25 F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the Pacific this month, an unusually large deployment that sends a strong message to China.
Pacific Air Forces in Hawaii this week said approximately 25 F-22s Raptors from the Hawaii Air National Guard and from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, will deploy this month to Guam and Tinian islands for Operation Pacific Iron 2021.
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1415982497418989573?s=20
Guam and Tinian.....talk about some history......
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Japan To Arm Its Fighter Jets With World’s Longest-Range Cruise Missiles
The EurAsian Times
By Smriti Chaudhary
September 9, 2020
Japan plans to arm its stealth F-35 jets with one of the world’s longest-range missiles that is bound to ring alarm bells in China, Russia, and North Korea. Japan’s Defense Ministry plans to acquire standoff missiles by March 2022 with a range of 500 km, reported The Japan Times citing government sources.
Japan is set to buy Norwegian Joint Strike Missile (JSM) anti-surface and anti-ship missiles. It can be mounted on F-35 to make use of the jet’s stealth capabilities.
Another acquisition that the government might make is the US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). The acquisitions will be made under the medium-term defense buildup program for fiscal 2019-2023.
The 3.95m long JSM missile weighs 525kg and has a range of 280 km. It is capable of hitting both land and naval targets. It is developed by Norwegian defense firm Kongsberg and US manufacturer Raytheon.
Japan To Arm Its Fighter Jets With World's Longest-Range Cruise Missiles (eurasiantimes.com)
The EurAsian Times
By Smriti Chaudhary
September 9, 2020
Japan plans to arm its stealth F-35 jets with one of the world’s longest-range missiles that is bound to ring alarm bells in China, Russia, and North Korea. Japan’s Defense Ministry plans to acquire standoff missiles by March 2022 with a range of 500 km, reported The Japan Times citing government sources.
Japan is set to buy Norwegian Joint Strike Missile (JSM) anti-surface and anti-ship missiles. It can be mounted on F-35 to make use of the jet’s stealth capabilities.
Another acquisition that the government might make is the US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM). The acquisitions will be made under the medium-term defense buildup program for fiscal 2019-2023.
The 3.95m long JSM missile weighs 525kg and has a range of 280 km. It is capable of hitting both land and naval targets. It is developed by Norwegian defense firm Kongsberg and US manufacturer Raytheon.
Japan To Arm Its Fighter Jets With World's Longest-Range Cruise Missiles (eurasiantimes.com)
northern watch
TB Fanatic
If the US State Department blocks the sale of Lockheed Martin’s Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM) and Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM) then the Japan, Taiwan know for certain Uncle Joe does not have their back.