155 arty
Veteran Member
I'm paranoid but ...is all this shit escalated in collusion with china to distraction over the election audits things are rapidly escalating very fast... inquiring minds want to know!
ALERT The Winds of War Blow in Korea and The Far East
- Thread starter northern watch
- Start date
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Well, Bill Clinton launched cruise missile attacks on Afghanistan and Sudan, during the time of the Monica Lewinsky affair made news headlines. This many thought was to create distraction from the Monica Lewinsky affair.
China is not Afghanistan & Sudan and the 2020 Election is not Monica Lewinsky!
Operation Infinite Reach was the codename for American cruise missile strikes on Al-Qaeda bases in Khost, Afghanistan, and the Al-Shifa pharmaceutical factory in Khartoum, Sudan, on August 20, 1998. The attacks, launched by the U.S. Navy, were ordered by President Bill Clinton, allegedly in retaliation for al-Qaeda's August 7 bombings of American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, which killed 224 people (including 12 Americans) and injured over 4,000 others. Operation Infinite Reach was the first time the United States acknowledged a preemptive strike against a violent non-state actor.
Operation Infinite Reach - Wikipedia
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northern watch
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Ramping the Strait: Quick and Dirty Solutions to Boost Amphibious Lift
Publication: China Brief Volume: 21 Issue: 14
By: Conor Kennedy
July 16, 2021 03:52 PM Age: 2 days
Introduction
The threat of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) using military force to coerce or perhaps launch an amphibious invasion of Taiwan has received significant attention in the past year. Meanwhile, the recent commissioning of the PLA Navy’s first Type-075 amphibious assault ship has further highlighted China’s developing amphibious capabilities (South China Morning Post, May 9). At the same time, the apparent shortage of amphibious lift required to execute large-scale landing operations leaves many wondering whether China is serious about its threats against Taiwan. The U.S. Department of Defense’s 2020 China Military Power Report notes the PLA’s focus on ocean-going amphibious platforms rather than a large fleet of traditional landing ships and craft suggests that a direct beach-assault operation is less likely at the moment (Office of the Secretary of Defense, September 1, 2020).
But the PLA may have other plans for transporting troops and equipment across the Strait: the growing capabilities of its merchant roll on-roll off (RO-RO) ships (CMSI, December 6, 2019). These are vessels equipped with built-in ramps that enable wheeled and tracked cargo to load and offload under their own power. Such ships have the potential to deliver a significant volume of force, providing access to port terminals or other lighterage is available. They do not, however, provide solutions for launching waves of amphibious assault forces, for which dedicated landing ships are still lacking. Among the numerous critical components necessary for a successful cross-Strait landing, a failure to secure landing areas for follow-on forces in the initial assault would bring the entire endeavor to a screeching halt, likely inflicting severe costs on the part of the aggressor and resulting in a withdrawal.
For China’s RO-RO ships to support an amphibious assault scenario, their ramps would need to be capable of in-water operations to launch amphibious combat vehicles. This capability appears to have been publicly demonstrated in the summer of 2020 by the PRC-flagged vessel Bang Chui Dao (棒棰岛), a 15,560-ton RO-RO owned and operated by COSCO Shipping Ferry Company (COSCO Shipping Ferry, accessed June 24). This article describes a new ramp system observed on this ship during a recent exercise and discusses its implications for PLA amphibious capabilities in a cross-Strait landing.
New Ramp System Demonstrated in Amphibious Landing Exercises
During the peak of summer training in 2020, the 1st Marine Brigade of the PLA Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC) mustered all personnel and equipment (全员, 全装, quan yuan, quan zhuang) for day and night landing exercises in amphibious training areas off the coast of Guangdong Province. These exercises featured night-time mobilization and assembly, embarkation, obstacle clearance, amphibious assault landings, and artillery and air defense training (js7tv.cn, August 2, 2020). They also included the use of a new ship to carry these forces to their training area.
On July 10, the Bang Chui Dao, which usually runs ferry routes across the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf, arrived in Zhanjiang (湛江) to join the PLANMC exercise. It took on 1st Brigade troops, trucks, and Type-05 amphibious armored vehicles at the Southern Theater Navy’s 6th Landing Ship Flotilla loading dock (CCTV, August 3, 2020). According to automatic identification system (AIS) transmission data of the vessel’s movements, the ship departed Zhanjiang just before 10:00 AM local time and arrived off Tangxia (塘霞), an amphibious training area in Dianbai County (电白区), at almost 4:00 PM. AIS data indicates that it likely began launching vehicles 4 to 5 kilometers (2.5 to 3.1 miles) offshore without dropping anchor. Video of a vehicle launching shows the ship was likely running slow into the wind to maintain a lee astern; it appears to have maintained bare steerage while drifting to the southeast at half a knot until offloading was completed and then departed for nearby Shuidong Harbor at around 4:48 PM.[1] After being moored dockside overnight and well into the next day, the ship then left for the Shuidong anchorage on the evening of July 11. It returned to Zhanjiang in the afternoon of July 12, presumably to offload PLANMC forces. Although it is unclear how many PLAN landing ships took part, at least one Type-073A landing ship likely participated (CCTV, August 3, 2020).
Footage of 1st Brigade Type-05 vehicles using the new ramp system in 2020 (Source: js7tv.cn).
The ship’s participation is not abnormal. It has supported PLA transportation exercises for years, for example in 2014 (shown below). According to its AIS transmissions, the Bang Chui Dao was very busy in the summer of 2020. It made multiple trips beyond the Bohai/Yellow Sea to areas with PLA landing ships and craft, including a visit to a PLA Ground Forces (PLAGF) watercraft site in Xiamen, Fujian Province which is close to a PLAGF amphibious brigade in Zhangzhou (漳州), and possibly conducted activities in waters near Kinmen (金门, Jinmen) Island.[2] Little information is available on what it did there. Bang Chui Dao also played a significant role in “Eastern Transportation-Projection 2020A” (东部运投-2020A), an exercise held by the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force in the Eastern Theater Command between June and August 2020.
Bang Chui Dao loading PLA forces at a conventional terminal in 2014, prior to its ramp conversion (Source: China Military Online)
The key technical development demonstrated in its July 2020 exercise with the PLANMC is the converted stern ramp installed on the Bang Chui Dao. The ship’s previous straight stern ramp (shown above) was a hydraulic-powered ramp type often seen on RO-ROs. At some point in the past few years, this vessel’s stern ramp was converted to enable amphibious launch. Video of this capability appeared during a 2019 state media profile of an officer at the former Nanjing Military Region Military Representative Office for Navigational Matters, showing the vessel’s ability to recover a ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle, likely from a PLAGF amphibious unit (CCTV-Military Report, May 14, 2019).
The 2020 exercise provides a closer look at the new ramp system. The ramp is driven directly by two large hydraulic cylinders and two support arms. When conducting launch and recovery, these are connected between the top of the hydraulic mounting assemblies on the inner ramp and the top of the freight deck threshold to provide the strength and leverage required to deploy the ramp into the water and withstand sea action. The support arms also act as preventers at maximum extension, while the ramp is kept rigid by the hydraulic cylinders. A longer outer ramp flap has also been added, controlled by another set of hydraulic cylinders mounted on the underside or backside of the ramp. These help to provide strength at the end of the outer ramp and may also allow for further articulation to help vehicles get on the inner ramp. Based on 2020 video footage, the ramp system appears able to launch and recover at a minimum the lightweight ZTD-05 vehicle (26 tons).[3]
Implications
The use of ramps at sea is fraught with challenges. Unsecured ramps run the risk of being snapped off by dynamic stress caused by ocean swells. The introduction of this system suggests confidence by Chinese engineers and the vessel’s operators that their system can work. The combined use of hydraulic systems and support arms means that this new ramp is better situated to handle light sea states, perhaps up to sea state three (based on a scale from one to ten). With converted stern ramps, ships could simply anchor during discharge using the vessel’s own lee. If currents complicate matters, ships might also run at bare steerage speed to ensure smooth vehicle launching. The two training examples that involved the new ramp’s use appear to have taken place in calm conditions. They would likely encounter harsh marine conditions in the Taiwan Strait, which experiences annual average wave heights from 3.6 to 8.5 feet (i.e., light to moderate sea states).[4]
Built in the Netherlands in 1995, the Bang Chui Dao is smaller than some of the RO-RO ships recently built in the Bohai Gulf area. It did not implement national defense requirements during construction but has clearly undergone some amount of modification to better support the PLA. According to the COSCO Shipping Ferry website, the Bang Chui Dao can carry 1,200 passengers and has 835 meters (2,740 feet) of vehicle lane capacity in its main and lower vehicle decks (COSCO Shipping Ferry, accessed June 24). It is difficult to determine the total number of Type-05 vehicles and equipment that could be transported without the dimensions and number of vehicle lanes available. But accounting for a Type-05 chassis length of 9.5 meters (31.2 feet) and fore and aft spacing of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) between vehicles, as reported by PLA sources, the Bang Chui Dao may theoretically be able to transport up to an amphibious mechanized infantry battalion.[5] This rough calculation does not factor in numerous other considerations that go into load planning.
Thus far, the new ramp system has only been seen on the Bang Chui Dao, but it could be installed across China’s fleet of RO-RO ships. In 2019, authors from the PLA Military Transportation University stated that there were 63 RO-RO ships suitable for use in transporting military units, totaling 140,000 deadweight tons.[6] While larger, more advanced RO-RO ships have been delivered, numerous existing ships still use straight stern ramps like the Bang Chui Dao.[7] Many of these might be good candidates for ramp conversion.
A surge in PLA landing ship construction would be expected before serious preparations for a cross-Strait invasion. This would be exposed to ship spotters and overhead imagery over the course of many months and has not yet been observed. Nevertheless, the testing of new ramp systems as seen on the Bang Chui Dao could offer the PLA a potentially fast and cheap method of surging amphibious lift capabilities without raising concerns. This middle ground scenario raises questions about how quickly such conversions could be detected. Converted RO-RO ships could also be loaded with amphibious combat units well ahead of a planned invasion, supporting personnel with shipboard amenities normally used for civilian purposes. This could help ease pressure on mobilization, embarkation, and movement timelines and could be done at optimal periods, such as nights with low visibility or days with ample cloud cover.
Conclusion
The July 2020 exercise could simply be early testing of the new ramp. There is not enough evidence on its performance beyond short clips showing a few vehicles in operation, leaving one to wonder about its breakdown rate. Nonetheless, the fact that PLA units have used this system during amphibious training, coupled with the necessary costs borne in conversion and training, lends some credibility toward its future use in a military scenario. Due to the associated costs, it is unlikely that commercial ferry operators would want this complicated system installed for regular use. If it is adopted on a larger scale, the PLA would only need as many converted RO-ROs as necessary to fill in the gaps in amphibious lift for surface amphibious assault units. Other larger RO-RO ships could focus on the transport and debarkation of follow-on forces, another uniquely difficult challenge in amphibious assault scenarios that is not addressed here.
Although ramps are nowhere nearly as flashy as footage of the PLAN’s brand-new amphibious assault ships, military observers would do well to watch how many of China’s older and smaller RO-RO ships receive this new ramp system in the coming years.
Special thanks to Captain Patrick Kennedy Sr., Merchant Marine, for his assistance in reviewing the more technical aspects presented in this article. Any mistakes or errors in this article are solely the author’s own.
Conor Kennedy is a research associate in the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute in Rhode Island.
Notes
[1] While no wheel wash is shown in the brief clip, Marine Traffic AIS data suggests the vessel may have run slow into a 23-knot wind out of the north-northeast on a 16-degree heading to maintain position and a lee for ramp operations. Marine Traffic, Date: July 10, 2020 – Past Track of Bang Chui Dao.
[2] AIS data for this analysis was pulled from Marine Traffic, July – September, 2020 – Past Track of Bang Chui Dao.
[3] This is compared to the US Marine Corps new amphibious combat vehicle that weighs approximately 35-tons.
[4] For source on average wave heights in the Taiwan Strait, see: 张桂湘, 张健, 张敏健 [Zhang Guixiang, Zhang Jian, Zhang Minjian], 两岸通航适用客滚船主尺度及适航性分析 [“Cross-Strait Ro/Pax Principal Dimensions and Navigability Analysis”], 船舶与海洋工程 [Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering], No. 6, 2015, p. 2.
[5] For source on vehicle spacing, see: 陈益平 [Chen Yiping], 军用车辆船舶滚装运输有关问题研究 [“Research into the Ro-Ro Transportation of Military Vehicles”], 国防交通工程与技术 [Traffic Engineering and Technology for National Defense], No. 5, 2018, p. 5.
[6] 李鹏, 孙浩, 赵喜庆 [Li Peng, Sun Hao, Zhao Xiqing], 国家战略投送能力发展对合成部队建设的影响与对策 [“Impact of National Strategic Delivery Capability Development on Construction of Synthetic Forces and Countermeasures”], 军事交通学院学报 [Journal of Military Transportation University], no. 8 (2019), p. 3.[7] 赵俊国, 刘宝新 [Zhao Junguo, Liu Baoxin], 艉直式跳板滚装船丁靠直立式码头装卸载保障 [“Loading and Unloading Support of RO-RO Ship with Straight Stern Type Springboard T-Type Berthing at Vertical Wharf”], 水运工程 [Port & Waterway Engineering], No. 6, 2017, p. 77.
Ramping the Strait: Quick and Dirty Solutions to Boost Amphibious Lift - Jamestown
Publication: China Brief Volume: 21 Issue: 14
By: Conor Kennedy
July 16, 2021 03:52 PM Age: 2 days
Introduction
The threat of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) using military force to coerce or perhaps launch an amphibious invasion of Taiwan has received significant attention in the past year. Meanwhile, the recent commissioning of the PLA Navy’s first Type-075 amphibious assault ship has further highlighted China’s developing amphibious capabilities (South China Morning Post, May 9). At the same time, the apparent shortage of amphibious lift required to execute large-scale landing operations leaves many wondering whether China is serious about its threats against Taiwan. The U.S. Department of Defense’s 2020 China Military Power Report notes the PLA’s focus on ocean-going amphibious platforms rather than a large fleet of traditional landing ships and craft suggests that a direct beach-assault operation is less likely at the moment (Office of the Secretary of Defense, September 1, 2020).
But the PLA may have other plans for transporting troops and equipment across the Strait: the growing capabilities of its merchant roll on-roll off (RO-RO) ships (CMSI, December 6, 2019). These are vessels equipped with built-in ramps that enable wheeled and tracked cargo to load and offload under their own power. Such ships have the potential to deliver a significant volume of force, providing access to port terminals or other lighterage is available. They do not, however, provide solutions for launching waves of amphibious assault forces, for which dedicated landing ships are still lacking. Among the numerous critical components necessary for a successful cross-Strait landing, a failure to secure landing areas for follow-on forces in the initial assault would bring the entire endeavor to a screeching halt, likely inflicting severe costs on the part of the aggressor and resulting in a withdrawal.
For China’s RO-RO ships to support an amphibious assault scenario, their ramps would need to be capable of in-water operations to launch amphibious combat vehicles. This capability appears to have been publicly demonstrated in the summer of 2020 by the PRC-flagged vessel Bang Chui Dao (棒棰岛), a 15,560-ton RO-RO owned and operated by COSCO Shipping Ferry Company (COSCO Shipping Ferry, accessed June 24). This article describes a new ramp system observed on this ship during a recent exercise and discusses its implications for PLA amphibious capabilities in a cross-Strait landing.
New Ramp System Demonstrated in Amphibious Landing Exercises
During the peak of summer training in 2020, the 1st Marine Brigade of the PLA Navy Marine Corps (PLANMC) mustered all personnel and equipment (全员, 全装, quan yuan, quan zhuang) for day and night landing exercises in amphibious training areas off the coast of Guangdong Province. These exercises featured night-time mobilization and assembly, embarkation, obstacle clearance, amphibious assault landings, and artillery and air defense training (js7tv.cn, August 2, 2020). They also included the use of a new ship to carry these forces to their training area.
On July 10, the Bang Chui Dao, which usually runs ferry routes across the Yellow Sea and Bohai Gulf, arrived in Zhanjiang (湛江) to join the PLANMC exercise. It took on 1st Brigade troops, trucks, and Type-05 amphibious armored vehicles at the Southern Theater Navy’s 6th Landing Ship Flotilla loading dock (CCTV, August 3, 2020). According to automatic identification system (AIS) transmission data of the vessel’s movements, the ship departed Zhanjiang just before 10:00 AM local time and arrived off Tangxia (塘霞), an amphibious training area in Dianbai County (电白区), at almost 4:00 PM. AIS data indicates that it likely began launching vehicles 4 to 5 kilometers (2.5 to 3.1 miles) offshore without dropping anchor. Video of a vehicle launching shows the ship was likely running slow into the wind to maintain a lee astern; it appears to have maintained bare steerage while drifting to the southeast at half a knot until offloading was completed and then departed for nearby Shuidong Harbor at around 4:48 PM.[1] After being moored dockside overnight and well into the next day, the ship then left for the Shuidong anchorage on the evening of July 11. It returned to Zhanjiang in the afternoon of July 12, presumably to offload PLANMC forces. Although it is unclear how many PLAN landing ships took part, at least one Type-073A landing ship likely participated (CCTV, August 3, 2020).
The ship’s participation is not abnormal. It has supported PLA transportation exercises for years, for example in 2014 (shown below). According to its AIS transmissions, the Bang Chui Dao was very busy in the summer of 2020. It made multiple trips beyond the Bohai/Yellow Sea to areas with PLA landing ships and craft, including a visit to a PLA Ground Forces (PLAGF) watercraft site in Xiamen, Fujian Province which is close to a PLAGF amphibious brigade in Zhangzhou (漳州), and possibly conducted activities in waters near Kinmen (金门, Jinmen) Island.[2] Little information is available on what it did there. Bang Chui Dao also played a significant role in “Eastern Transportation-Projection 2020A” (东部运投-2020A), an exercise held by the PLA Joint Logistics Support Force in the Eastern Theater Command between June and August 2020.
The key technical development demonstrated in its July 2020 exercise with the PLANMC is the converted stern ramp installed on the Bang Chui Dao. The ship’s previous straight stern ramp (shown above) was a hydraulic-powered ramp type often seen on RO-ROs. At some point in the past few years, this vessel’s stern ramp was converted to enable amphibious launch. Video of this capability appeared during a 2019 state media profile of an officer at the former Nanjing Military Region Military Representative Office for Navigational Matters, showing the vessel’s ability to recover a ZTD-05 amphibious assault vehicle, likely from a PLAGF amphibious unit (CCTV-Military Report, May 14, 2019).
The 2020 exercise provides a closer look at the new ramp system. The ramp is driven directly by two large hydraulic cylinders and two support arms. When conducting launch and recovery, these are connected between the top of the hydraulic mounting assemblies on the inner ramp and the top of the freight deck threshold to provide the strength and leverage required to deploy the ramp into the water and withstand sea action. The support arms also act as preventers at maximum extension, while the ramp is kept rigid by the hydraulic cylinders. A longer outer ramp flap has also been added, controlled by another set of hydraulic cylinders mounted on the underside or backside of the ramp. These help to provide strength at the end of the outer ramp and may also allow for further articulation to help vehicles get on the inner ramp. Based on 2020 video footage, the ramp system appears able to launch and recover at a minimum the lightweight ZTD-05 vehicle (26 tons).[3]
Implications
The use of ramps at sea is fraught with challenges. Unsecured ramps run the risk of being snapped off by dynamic stress caused by ocean swells. The introduction of this system suggests confidence by Chinese engineers and the vessel’s operators that their system can work. The combined use of hydraulic systems and support arms means that this new ramp is better situated to handle light sea states, perhaps up to sea state three (based on a scale from one to ten). With converted stern ramps, ships could simply anchor during discharge using the vessel’s own lee. If currents complicate matters, ships might also run at bare steerage speed to ensure smooth vehicle launching. The two training examples that involved the new ramp’s use appear to have taken place in calm conditions. They would likely encounter harsh marine conditions in the Taiwan Strait, which experiences annual average wave heights from 3.6 to 8.5 feet (i.e., light to moderate sea states).[4]
Built in the Netherlands in 1995, the Bang Chui Dao is smaller than some of the RO-RO ships recently built in the Bohai Gulf area. It did not implement national defense requirements during construction but has clearly undergone some amount of modification to better support the PLA. According to the COSCO Shipping Ferry website, the Bang Chui Dao can carry 1,200 passengers and has 835 meters (2,740 feet) of vehicle lane capacity in its main and lower vehicle decks (COSCO Shipping Ferry, accessed June 24). It is difficult to determine the total number of Type-05 vehicles and equipment that could be transported without the dimensions and number of vehicle lanes available. But accounting for a Type-05 chassis length of 9.5 meters (31.2 feet) and fore and aft spacing of 1.5 meters (4.9 feet) between vehicles, as reported by PLA sources, the Bang Chui Dao may theoretically be able to transport up to an amphibious mechanized infantry battalion.[5] This rough calculation does not factor in numerous other considerations that go into load planning.
Thus far, the new ramp system has only been seen on the Bang Chui Dao, but it could be installed across China’s fleet of RO-RO ships. In 2019, authors from the PLA Military Transportation University stated that there were 63 RO-RO ships suitable for use in transporting military units, totaling 140,000 deadweight tons.[6] While larger, more advanced RO-RO ships have been delivered, numerous existing ships still use straight stern ramps like the Bang Chui Dao.[7] Many of these might be good candidates for ramp conversion.
A surge in PLA landing ship construction would be expected before serious preparations for a cross-Strait invasion. This would be exposed to ship spotters and overhead imagery over the course of many months and has not yet been observed. Nevertheless, the testing of new ramp systems as seen on the Bang Chui Dao could offer the PLA a potentially fast and cheap method of surging amphibious lift capabilities without raising concerns. This middle ground scenario raises questions about how quickly such conversions could be detected. Converted RO-RO ships could also be loaded with amphibious combat units well ahead of a planned invasion, supporting personnel with shipboard amenities normally used for civilian purposes. This could help ease pressure on mobilization, embarkation, and movement timelines and could be done at optimal periods, such as nights with low visibility or days with ample cloud cover.
Conclusion
The July 2020 exercise could simply be early testing of the new ramp. There is not enough evidence on its performance beyond short clips showing a few vehicles in operation, leaving one to wonder about its breakdown rate. Nonetheless, the fact that PLA units have used this system during amphibious training, coupled with the necessary costs borne in conversion and training, lends some credibility toward its future use in a military scenario. Due to the associated costs, it is unlikely that commercial ferry operators would want this complicated system installed for regular use. If it is adopted on a larger scale, the PLA would only need as many converted RO-ROs as necessary to fill in the gaps in amphibious lift for surface amphibious assault units. Other larger RO-RO ships could focus on the transport and debarkation of follow-on forces, another uniquely difficult challenge in amphibious assault scenarios that is not addressed here.
Although ramps are nowhere nearly as flashy as footage of the PLAN’s brand-new amphibious assault ships, military observers would do well to watch how many of China’s older and smaller RO-RO ships receive this new ramp system in the coming years.
Special thanks to Captain Patrick Kennedy Sr., Merchant Marine, for his assistance in reviewing the more technical aspects presented in this article. Any mistakes or errors in this article are solely the author’s own.
Conor Kennedy is a research associate in the U.S. Naval War College’s China Maritime Studies Institute in Rhode Island.
Notes
[1] While no wheel wash is shown in the brief clip, Marine Traffic AIS data suggests the vessel may have run slow into a 23-knot wind out of the north-northeast on a 16-degree heading to maintain position and a lee for ramp operations. Marine Traffic, Date: July 10, 2020 – Past Track of Bang Chui Dao.
[2] AIS data for this analysis was pulled from Marine Traffic, July – September, 2020 – Past Track of Bang Chui Dao.
[3] This is compared to the US Marine Corps new amphibious combat vehicle that weighs approximately 35-tons.
[4] For source on average wave heights in the Taiwan Strait, see: 张桂湘, 张健, 张敏健 [Zhang Guixiang, Zhang Jian, Zhang Minjian], 两岸通航适用客滚船主尺度及适航性分析 [“Cross-Strait Ro/Pax Principal Dimensions and Navigability Analysis”], 船舶与海洋工程 [Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering], No. 6, 2015, p. 2.
[5] For source on vehicle spacing, see: 陈益平 [Chen Yiping], 军用车辆船舶滚装运输有关问题研究 [“Research into the Ro-Ro Transportation of Military Vehicles”], 国防交通工程与技术 [Traffic Engineering and Technology for National Defense], No. 5, 2018, p. 5.
[6] 李鹏, 孙浩, 赵喜庆 [Li Peng, Sun Hao, Zhao Xiqing], 国家战略投送能力发展对合成部队建设的影响与对策 [“Impact of National Strategic Delivery Capability Development on Construction of Synthetic Forces and Countermeasures”], 军事交通学院学报 [Journal of Military Transportation University], no. 8 (2019), p. 3.[7] 赵俊国, 刘宝新 [Zhao Junguo, Liu Baoxin], 艉直式跳板滚装船丁靠直立式码头装卸载保障 [“Loading and Unloading Support of RO-RO Ship with Straight Stern Type Springboard T-Type Berthing at Vertical Wharf”], 水运工程 [Port & Waterway Engineering], No. 6, 2017, p. 77.
Ramping the Strait: Quick and Dirty Solutions to Boost Amphibious Lift - Jamestown
Last edited:
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Comments from Ramping the Strait: Quick and Dirty Solutions to Boost Amphibious Lift
By using commercially available RO-RO ships, China can stealthy increase the readiness date for a Taiwan invasion
By using commercially available RO-RO ships, China can stealthy increase the readiness date for a Taiwan invasion
Looking at Operation Torch of November 1942 gives an insight into putting an invasion together from scratch. The US shipped a huge number of tanks to North Africa by the use of the railroad ferry USS Lakehurst, formerly SS Seatrain New Jersey. Similar ships were the difference between winning and loosing at El Alamein of October 1942, when they were used to ship the British forces in Egypt 300 tanks and other heavy equipment and supplies prior to the battle.
jward
passin' thru
I'm confused, I thought it was Russia n orange-man-bad. :: shakes head n wanders off ::
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv
JUST IN - US, UK, and EU warn China to stop malicious cyber operations.
NATO has issued a formal condemnation of China's malicious cyber operations for the first time. U.S. and allies accuse the communist country of Microsoft Exchange cyberattacks.
6:01 AM · Jul 19, 2021·Twitter Web App
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv
JUST IN - US, UK, and EU warn China to stop malicious cyber operations.
NATO has issued a formal condemnation of China's malicious cyber operations for the first time. U.S. and allies accuse the communist country of Microsoft Exchange cyberattacks.
6:01 AM · Jul 19, 2021·Twitter Web App
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Royal Navy ships to be based in the Pacific
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 19, 2021
HMS Spey and HMS Tamar will be based in the Indo-Pacific region, sailing for their long-term deployment later this year.
As announced in the Integrated Review of Defence, Security and Foreign Policy earlier in the year, the UK has committed to a more persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific.
According to a Ministry of Defence news release on the matter:
“Following on from the strike group’s inaugural deployment, the UK will permanently assign two Offshore Patrol Vessels to the region from later this year as well as contributing a Littoral Response Group (LRG) in the coming years. HMS Spey and HMS Tamar will deploy to the Indo-Pacific at the end of August 2021 and will be supported by partners during their operations, including Australia, Japan and Singapore.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“As we witness a tilt in power towards the Indo-Pacific region, we are committed to working with our partners here to defend democratic values, tackle shared threats and keep our nations safe.”
Royal Navy ships to be based in the Pacific (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 19, 2021
HMS Spey and HMS Tamar will be based in the Indo-Pacific region, sailing for their long-term deployment later this year.
As announced in the Integrated Review of Defence, Security and Foreign Policy earlier in the year, the UK has committed to a more persistent presence in the Indo-Pacific.
According to a Ministry of Defence news release on the matter:
“Following on from the strike group’s inaugural deployment, the UK will permanently assign two Offshore Patrol Vessels to the region from later this year as well as contributing a Littoral Response Group (LRG) in the coming years. HMS Spey and HMS Tamar will deploy to the Indo-Pacific at the end of August 2021 and will be supported by partners during their operations, including Australia, Japan and Singapore.”
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said:
“As we witness a tilt in power towards the Indo-Pacific region, we are committed to working with our partners here to defend democratic values, tackle shared threats and keep our nations safe.”
Royal Navy ships to be based in the Pacific (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
jward
passin' thru
https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/898153945721339904/O****PfR_bigger.jpg
Disclose.tv
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·
55m
JUST IN - UK to China: HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier group to sail through disputed international waters in the South China Sea - and ships will remain permanently in the region, according to Britain's Defence Secretary.
northern watch
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Melodi
Disaster Cat
If all this turns out to be correct (and my understanding is this threat was made - sorry private sources) then China has just upped the ante so far it is almost unbelievable. For one thing, they just said flat out they would first strike nuke a sovereign country if they provided "support" to Taiwan and then upped it further by saying it would be a simultaneous attack.
You almost get the feeling that someone in China WANTS the nations of the world to start concentrating their military forces in the Pacific and that is exactly what is starting to happen.
As Nightwolf said: "This isn't Kruchef baning his shoe at the UN and ranting about burying the West, this is an actual and specific threat from one sovereign nation to specifically attack another."
You almost get the feeling that someone in China WANTS the nations of the world to start concentrating their military forces in the Pacific and that is exactly what is starting to happen.
As Nightwolf said: "This isn't Kruchef baning his shoe at the UN and ranting about burying the West, this is an actual and specific threat from one sovereign nation to specifically attack another."
northern watch
TB Fanatic
You are thinking China causes Western forces, the US, UK to amass forces in the Far East, then Russia attacks in the West, the Ukraine and the Baltic States?
Melodi
Disaster Cat
That thought did occur to me, but I'm not a military historian so I will leave it to others to decide if that is plausible or not - China could have other reasons for actually wanting a war now.
Nightwolf thinks that they are between a rock and a hard place and soon to be facing massive famines and social disruption he said "that is the sort of thing that historically leads desperate nations to war."
Then there is that weird "report" that came out of some big think tank in the mid-2000s, I don't remember which one but I remember we were living in Ireland at the time and it was in the news (could have even been the late 1990s). A report suggested that "what the world needs to get out of the incoming economic and international collapse is a big war."
And they said "not just a small war like the Middle East, but a really big war like WWI or WWII, they suggested something like a hypothetical war of the "US vs. Japan" because that was totally unlikely (per the report) but a war was "needed" on that scale.
I've been watching things ever since with that "report" in mind and yeah, it looks like "someone(s)" wants a really big war, just as the financial situation is really on a cliff edge - interesting? And no, the report was not woo - I don't remember which Big Think Tank did it, but it was a real report of the sort that Globalists like the ponder over at DAVOS or Bilderberg conferences.
And it was out of the news in almost 24 hours, a one-day "wonder" of a story....
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Chinese Communist Party On Brink Of Total Collapse
Populist Press
July 20, 2021
National Security Correspondent at Washington Times, Bill Gertz, appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room Tuesday morning where he exposed what the corrupt Chinese Communist Party is hiding. They’re attempting to make themselves look powerful and strong when they’re weak and on the very of collapsing.
“There are definitely warning signs of the coming collapse of the Chinese Communist Party,” Gertz said. “The pandemic and China’s responsibility for it is pushing it in this direction. The Chinese economy may not be that strong as well as their military. They are trying to pretend that they are strong.”
Chinese Communist Party On Brink Of Total Collapse | Populist Press 2021 ©
Episode 1,108 – The Pandemic is Being Used to Root out Populism (rumble.com)
Populist Press
July 20, 2021
National Security Correspondent at Washington Times, Bill Gertz, appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room Tuesday morning where he exposed what the corrupt Chinese Communist Party is hiding. They’re attempting to make themselves look powerful and strong when they’re weak and on the very of collapsing.
“There are definitely warning signs of the coming collapse of the Chinese Communist Party,” Gertz said. “The pandemic and China’s responsibility for it is pushing it in this direction. The Chinese economy may not be that strong as well as their military. They are trying to pretend that they are strong.”
Chinese Communist Party On Brink Of Total Collapse | Populist Press 2021 ©
Episode 1,108 – The Pandemic is Being Used to Root out Populism (rumble.com)
Last edited:
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Bill Gertz is also thinking as Nightwolf who " thinks that they are between a rock and a hard place and soon to be facing massive famines and social disruption he said "that is the sort of thing that historically leads desperate nations to war.""
I have also heard that one of the reasons Hitler invaded Poland in 1939 was to prevent social unrest in Germany
The conventional forces to either deter or respond to a Russian attack into Europe aren't for the most part the same as those that would be needed to deter the PRC/CCP.
northern watch
TB Fanatic
jward
passin' thru
Matt Korda
@mattkorda
Our latest estimate of North Korean nuclear weapons just dropped in@BulletinAtomic . @nukestrat and I estimate that the DPRK has enough fissile material for 40-50 warheads but may have assembled far fewer. Read the @FAScientists Nuclear Notebook https://tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.108
North Korea has recently made big strides with its missile arsenal, with notable advancements in:
- new short-range solid-fuel missiles that can be launched quickly (KN23, 24, 25)
- new liquid-fuel ICBM prototypes (Hwasong-15, -16)
- new SLBM prototypes (Pukguksong-3, -4, -5)
It remains unclear which of these new missiles, if any, are currently/will be assigned a nuclear strike role; however, it's safe to say that North Korea is still working towards a credible and operational nuclear strike capability that can hold regional and US targets at risk.
View: https://twitter.com/mattkorda/status/1417905331879956490?s=20
northern watch
TB Fanatic
northern watch
TB Fanatic
jward
passin' thru
The Associated Press
@AP
5m
Top U.S. and South Korean officials agreed to try to convince North Korea to return to talks on its nuclear program.
View: https://twitter.com/AP/status/1418062319838498816?s=20
jward
passin' thru
News That Matter
@jay1stnewyorker
6m
Japan opens air bases to bring in the US near South China Sea after Chin... https://youtu.be/ebbyR5qMf5wvia
@YouTube
View: https://twitter.com/jay1stnewyorker/status/1418463977282146304?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
6m
#Chinese workers are carrying weapons in order to protect themselves while carrying out maintenance work at various #China #Pakistan Economic Corridor (#CPEC) projects in Pakistan. 9 Chinese workers were recently killed in Pakistan. https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/defence/c
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1418547336884613124?s=20
northern watch
TB Fanatic
UK warship enters South China Sea despite Chinese warnings
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 24, 2021
HMS Defender, a Type 45 Destroyer part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Carrier Strike Group, has entered the South China Sea.
The vessel is sailing as part of the Carrier Strike group 21 deployment cewntred around aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has denounced the presence of foreign warships there as the root of tensions in the region.
Chinese defence spokesman Tan Kefei was quoted in the South China Morning Posas saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interest as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
What happened last time a British vessel sailed through the South China Sea?
HMS Albion has previously sailed through the South China Sea.
In 2018, assault ship HMS Albion was challenged by a Chinese frigate and two helicopters during freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea. Local media report that both sides remained calm during the encounter and the Royal Navy assault ship continued on course despite protests from China.
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 Royal Navy say that the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.
“While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.
More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea with a mix of British and American jets.
Currently however, HMS Diamond isn’t with the group after suffering a defect. You can read more about that here.
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group will also undertake anti-submarine exercises whilst in the Pacific region.
UK warship enters South China Sea despite Chinese warnings (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 24, 2021
HMS Defender, a Type 45 Destroyer part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Carrier Strike Group, has entered the South China Sea.
The vessel is sailing as part of the Carrier Strike group 21 deployment cewntred around aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has denounced the presence of foreign warships there as the root of tensions in the region.
Chinese defence spokesman Tan Kefei was quoted in the South China Morning Posas saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interest as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
What happened last time a British vessel sailed through the South China Sea?
HMS Albion has previously sailed through the South China Sea.
In 2018, assault ship HMS Albion was challenged by a Chinese frigate and two helicopters during freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea. Local media report that both sides remained calm during the encounter and the Royal Navy assault ship continued on course despite protests from China.
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 Royal Navy say that the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.
“While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.
More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea with a mix of British and American jets.
Currently however, HMS Diamond isn’t with the group after suffering a defect. You can read more about that here.
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group will also undertake anti-submarine exercises whilst in the Pacific region.
UK warship enters South China Sea despite Chinese warnings (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
That will go over like a turd in the punchbowl.UK warship enters South China Sea despite Chinese warnings
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 24, 2021
HMS Defender, a Type 45 Destroyer part of HMS Queen Elizabeth’s Carrier Strike Group, has entered the South China Sea.
The vessel is sailing as part of the Carrier Strike group 21 deployment cewntred around aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has denounced the presence of foreign warships there as the root of tensions in the region.
Chinese defence spokesman Tan Kefei was quoted in the South China Morning Posas saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interest as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
What happened last time a British vessel sailed through the South China Sea?
HMS Albion has previously sailed through the South China Sea.
In 2018, assault ship HMS Albion was challenged by a Chinese frigate and two helicopters during freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea. Local media report that both sides remained calm during the encounter and the Royal Navy assault ship continued on course despite protests from China.
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 Royal Navy say that the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.
“While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.
More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea with a mix of British and American jets.
Currently however, HMS Diamond isn’t with the group after suffering a defect. You can read more about that here.
HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group will also undertake anti-submarine exercises whilst in the Pacific region.
UK warship enters South China Sea despite Chinese warnings (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
northern watch
TB Fanatic
Someday China will attack a warship in the South China sea to prove the point, it claims the area.
A lone warship is an inviting target, especially if it is not a US warship.
jward
passin' thru
Keean Bexte
@TheRealKeean
2h
The Japanese Olympic Committee made the decision to introduce Hong Kong and Taiwan as "Team Hong Kong" and "Team Taiwan," leaving China out in the cold.
@TheRealKeean
2h
The Japanese Olympic Committee made the decision to introduce Hong Kong and Taiwan as "Team Hong Kong" and "Team Taiwan," leaving China out in the cold.
jward
passin' thru
The Diplomat
@Diplomat_APAC
17m
It’s the first time since tight U.N. sanctions on the North’s oil imports went into effect that Pyongyang has openly sent a tanker to China.
View: https://twitter.com/Diplomat_APAC/status/1419519523523203075?s=20
@Diplomat_APAC
17m
It’s the first time since tight U.N. sanctions on the North’s oil imports went into effect that Pyongyang has openly sent a tanker to China.
View: https://twitter.com/Diplomat_APAC/status/1419519523523203075?s=20
jward
passin' thru
ndo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
14m
#Japan PM Suga, #France’s Macron vow to boost defence ties in veiled counter to #China They called the Tokyo Olympics ‘a symbol of world unity in defeating the pandemic’ They affirmed deeper security cooperation to realise a free & open #IndoPacific
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1419526501616087043?s=20
@IndoPac_Info
14m
#Japan PM Suga, #France’s Macron vow to boost defence ties in veiled counter to #China They called the Tokyo Olympics ‘a symbol of world unity in defeating the pandemic’ They affirmed deeper security cooperation to realise a free & open #IndoPacific
View: https://twitter.com/IndoPac_Info/status/1419526501616087043?s=20
jward
passin' thru
Global: MilitaryInf
@Global_Mil_Info
According to the Hankyoreh newspaper in South Korea, North and South Korea have restored the Inter-Korean hotline on Tuesday.
jward
passin' thru
Duan Dang
@duandang
New Chinese structure in the Paracel Islands. Looks like a cell tower to me. Credit: Vietnamese fisherman.
jward
passin' thru
Global: MilitaryInf
@Global_Mil_Info
According to the Hankyoreh newspaper in South Korea, North and South Korea have restored the Inter-Korean hotline on Tuesday.
North Korea confirms hotline reconnection, seeks ‘big stride’ toward trust
DPRK state media reports on the agreement shortly after South Korea’s announcement
Jeongmin Kim July 27, 2021
SHARE
Image: NK News (file photo) | A man walks and talks in North Korea
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to make a “big stride” in recovering inter-Korean trust, DPRK state media said Tuesday morning, confirming Seoul’s announcement the same morning that the two Koreas agreed to restore communication lines that were cut off for more than a year.
According to the South Korean government earlier in the day, the Panmunjom and inter-Korean liaison office communication channels resumed calls after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning, and the military hotline on the western side of the peninsula was also reconnected.
North Korea “cut” all inter-Korean communication lines in June 2020 and demolished the liaison office in Kaesong that month as well.
“Now, the whole Korean nation desires to see the north-south relations recovered from setback and stagnation as early as possible,” North Korea’s state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported on Tuesday, a few hours after South Korea announced the hotline restoration.
“In this regard, the top leaders of the north and the south agreed to make a big stride in recovering the mutual trust and promoting reconciliation by restoring the cutoff inter-Korean communication liaison lines through the recent several exchanges of personal letters.”
The KCNA report confirmed Seoul’s announcement, adding that the two Koreas took a measure to “re-operate all inter-Korean communication liaison lines” from 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
“The restoration of the communication liaison lines will have positive effects on the improvement and development of the north-south relations,” KCNA said.
South Korea’s Blue House said earlier in the day that Kim and Moon have exchanged multiple letters since April this year, explaining that the two leaders discussed issues such as restoring mutual trust and improving inter-Korean relations.
Edited by Arius Derr
North Korea confirms hotline reconnection, seeks ‘big stride’ toward trust | NK News
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korean President Moon Jae-in agreed to make a “big stride” in recovering inter-Korean trust, DPRK state media said Tuesday morning, confirming Seoul’s announcement the same morning that the two Koreas agreed to restore communication lines that were cut...
www.nknews.org
jward
passin' thru
Disclose.tv
@disclosetv
JUST IN - British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its carrier strike group have entered the South China Sea despite Chinese warnings.
4:09 AM · Jul 27, 2021·Twitter Web App
@disclosetv
JUST IN - British aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and its carrier strike group have entered the South China Sea despite Chinese warnings.
4:09 AM · Jul 27, 2021·Twitter Web App
jward
passin' thru
EndGameWW3
@EndGameWW3
4h
Seeds of war in the South China Sea - Asia Times
View: https://twitter.com/EndGameWW3/status/1419909644907171871?s=20
article posted in it's entirety at the link below:
OP-ED - Seeds of war in the South China Sea
Seeds of war in the South China Sea As belligerent rhetoric and provocations heat up on both sides, the risk of military conflict is running dangerously high by Mark Valencia July 27, 2021...
jward
passin' thru
Indo-Pacific News - Watching the CCP-China Threat
@IndoPac_Info
1h
A 2nd New Nuclear Missile Base for #China, and Many Questions About Strategy Is China scrapping its “minimum deterrent” strategy and joining an arms race? Or is it looking to create a negotiating card, in case it is drawn into arms control negotiations?
@IndoPac_Info
1h
A 2nd New Nuclear Missile Base for #China, and Many Questions About Strategy Is China scrapping its “minimum deterrent” strategy and joining an arms race? Or is it looking to create a negotiating card, in case it is drawn into arms control negotiations?
northern watch
TB Fanatic
British aircraft carrier ignores Chinese warnings and enters South China Sea
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 27, 2021
Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group have entered the South China Sea, a region largely claimed by China.
The aircraft carrier and her escorts were recently in Singapore before entering the South China Sea.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has denounced the presence of foreign warships there as the root of tensions in the region.
China say that its claim to the sea is based both on the Law of the Sea Convention and its so-called ‘nine-dash’ line. This line extends for 2,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, encompassing over half of the sea. However in an historic decision in 2016, the international tribunal in The Hague ruled against part of China’s claims to the sea. The US, UK and Australia routinely conduct freedom of navigation operations (or FONOPs) to challenge what Washington calls “attempts by coastal states to unlawfully restrict access to the seas”.
Territorial claims in the South China Sea
Both the US and UK have angered China previously by carrying out FONOPs in the South China Sea to assert rights to freedom of navigation.
Chinese defence spokesman Tan Kefei was quoted in the South China Morning Posas saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interest as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing with her Carrier Strike Group.
Back at the start of the month, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told MPs that “It’s absolutely right we exercise and defend the rights, and we do so from the Ukrainian territorial sea to the South China Sea” after discussions on a British warship sailing through Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia.
Yesterday, ships from the UK’s Carrier Strike Group performed an exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy.
According to the Ministry of Defence,:
“The exercise, to advance interoperability and coordination between the two navies, builds on the deep and long-standing defence partnership between the UK and Singapore. It was also the first time that ships from the Royal Navy’s 5th generation Carrier Strike Group exercised alongside the RSN.”
Eight ships were involved in yesterday’s exercise say the MoD:
HMS Albion has previously sailed through the South China Sea.
In 2018, assault ship HMS Albion was challenged by a Chinese frigate and two helicopters during freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea. Local media report that both sides remained calm during the encounter and the Royal Navy assault ship continued on course despite protests from China.
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 Royal Navy say that the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.
“While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.
More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea with a mix of British and American jets.
Currently however, HMS Diamond isn’t with the group after suffering a defect
British aircraft carrier ignores Chinese warnings and enters South China Sea (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
By George Allison
UK Defence Journal
July 27, 2021
Aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth and her Carrier Strike Group have entered the South China Sea, a region largely claimed by China.
The aircraft carrier and her escorts were recently in Singapore before entering the South China Sea.
China claims almost all of the 1.3 million-square-mile South China Sea as its sovereign territory, and it has denounced the presence of foreign warships there as the root of tensions in the region.
China say that its claim to the sea is based both on the Law of the Sea Convention and its so-called ‘nine-dash’ line. This line extends for 2,000 kilometers from the Chinese mainland, encompassing over half of the sea. However in an historic decision in 2016, the international tribunal in The Hague ruled against part of China’s claims to the sea. The US, UK and Australia routinely conduct freedom of navigation operations (or FONOPs) to challenge what Washington calls “attempts by coastal states to unlawfully restrict access to the seas”.
Territorial claims in the South China Sea
Both the US and UK have angered China previously by carrying out FONOPs in the South China Sea to assert rights to freedom of navigation.
Chinese defence spokesman Tan Kefei was quoted in the South China Morning Posas saying:
“The Chinese side believes that the South China Sea should not become a sea of great power rivalry dominated by weapons and warships. The real source of militarisation in the South China Sea comes from countries outside this region sending their warships thousands of kilometres from home to flex muscles. The Chinese military will take necessary measures to safeguard its sovereignty, security and development interest as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth sailing with her Carrier Strike Group.
Back at the start of the month, Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab told MPs that “It’s absolutely right we exercise and defend the rights, and we do so from the Ukrainian territorial sea to the South China Sea” after discussions on a British warship sailing through Ukrainian territory claimed by Russia.
Yesterday, ships from the UK’s Carrier Strike Group performed an exercise with the Republic of Singapore Navy.
According to the Ministry of Defence,:
“The exercise, to advance interoperability and coordination between the two navies, builds on the deep and long-standing defence partnership between the UK and Singapore. It was also the first time that ships from the Royal Navy’s 5th generation Carrier Strike Group exercised alongside the RSN.”
Eight ships were involved in yesterday’s exercise say the MoD:
- HMS Queen Elizabeth, aircraft carrier
- HMS Kent, Type 23 anti-submarine frigate
- HNLMS Evertsen, De Zeven Provicien-class frigate (Royal Netherlands Navy)
- USS The Sullivans, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer (US Navy)
- RFA Tidespring, Fast Fleet Tanker
- RSS Intrepid Formidable-class frigate (Republic of Singapore Navy)
- RSS Unity Independence-class littoral mission vessel (Republic of Singapore Navy)
- RSS Resolution Endurance-class landing ship tank (Republic of Singapore Navy)
HMS Albion has previously sailed through the South China Sea.
In 2018, assault ship HMS Albion was challenged by a Chinese frigate and two helicopters during freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea. Local media report that both sides remained calm during the encounter and the Royal Navy assault ship continued on course despite protests from China.
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 Royal Navy say that the UK’s Carrier Strike Group will visit more than one fifth of the world’s nations. Led by HMS Queen Elizabeth, the task group will visit 40 nations including India, Japan, Republic of Korea and Singapore in a deployment covering 26,000 nautical miles.
“While in the Pacific, ships from the Carrier Strike Group will mark the 50th anniversary of the Five Powers Defence Agreement between Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand and the UK by taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima. Joining HMS Queen Elizabeth on her maiden deployment are destroyers HMS Diamond and Defender; frigates HMS Richmond and Kent; an Astute-class submarine in support below the waves; and Royal Fleet Auxiliary support ships RFA Fort Victoria and RFA Tidespring.
More than 30 aircraft will also embark across the task group including F-35 jets from 617 Squadron, the Dambusters, and the US Marine Corps’ VMFA-211; Wildcat helicopters from 815 Naval Air Squadron and Merlin helicopters from 820 and 845 Naval Air Squadrons. Royal Marines from 42 Commando will also deploy with the carrier. Dutch frigate HNLMS Evertsen and American Arleigh Burke destroyer USS The Sullivans are also part of the strike group.”
HMS Queen Elizabeth at sea with a mix of British and American jets.
Currently however, HMS Diamond isn’t with the group after suffering a defect
British aircraft carrier ignores Chinese warnings and enters South China Sea (ukdefencejournal.org.uk)
northern watch
TB Fanatic
PLA Military On Alert As British Warships Enter South China Sea
BY TYLER DURDEN
ZERO HEDGE
TUESDAY, JUL 27, 2021 - 06:20 PM
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
The UK’s new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, and its strike group are making their way into the South China Sea as the British are using the warship’s maiden voyage to stoke tensions with Beijing.
The South China Sea Probing Initiative spotted the Queen Elizabeth sailing through the Strait of Malacca on its way to the South China Sea on Sunday morning.
Some British warships have already entered the South China Sea, including the HMS Defender. According to USNI News, the Defender was docked in Brunei on Sunday morning.
Before stoking tensions with Beijing, the Defender was in the Black Sea and carried out a reckless provocation against Russia by sailing 12 miles off the coast of Crimea. Moscow responded by firing warning shots on the vessel.
The South China Sea has turned into a dangerous flashpoint between the US and China. US military activity in the disputed waters has significantly increased over the past few years, and Washington is getting its allies to join in on the provocations against China.
The Queen Elizabeth and its strike group will eventually end up in Japan after making several stops along the way.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, via AP
After the aircraft carrier docks in Japan, British military officials announced that two UK warships would be permanently deployed in Asia.
PLA Military On Alert As British Warships Enter South China Sea | ZeroHedge
BY TYLER DURDEN
ZERO HEDGE
TUESDAY, JUL 27, 2021 - 06:20 PM
Authored by Dave DeCamp via AntiWar.com,
The UK’s new aircraft carrier, the HMS Queen Elizabeth, and its strike group are making their way into the South China Sea as the British are using the warship’s maiden voyage to stoke tensions with Beijing.
The South China Sea Probing Initiative spotted the Queen Elizabeth sailing through the Strait of Malacca on its way to the South China Sea on Sunday morning.
Some British warships have already entered the South China Sea, including the HMS Defender. According to USNI News, the Defender was docked in Brunei on Sunday morning.
Before stoking tensions with Beijing, the Defender was in the Black Sea and carried out a reckless provocation against Russia by sailing 12 miles off the coast of Crimea. Moscow responded by firing warning shots on the vessel.
The South China Sea has turned into a dangerous flashpoint between the US and China. US military activity in the disputed waters has significantly increased over the past few years, and Washington is getting its allies to join in on the provocations against China.
The Queen Elizabeth and its strike group will eventually end up in Japan after making several stops along the way.
HMS Queen Elizabeth, via AP
After the aircraft carrier docks in Japan, British military officials announced that two UK warships would be permanently deployed in Asia.
PLA Military On Alert As British Warships Enter South China Sea | ZeroHedge
northern watch
TB Fanatic
We will soon know!Wonder what, if anything, China will make o' this. . .