An ongoing territorial dispute in the South China Sea over a stretch that comprises more than 750 reefs, banks, and shoals known more generally as the Spratly Islands continues to heat up.
Late 2015 saw a severe escalation when the United States announced that it would send warships directly into a zone which China lays claim to. The U.S. has continued to counter China’s claim to sovereign territory, which (officially) dates from 2009, with a series of military maneuvers that many believe could spiral dangerously out of control.
Perhaps emboldened by a lack of overt resistance, the U.S. subsequently upped the ante of its strike force by sending three nuclear-equipped B-2 Stealth Bombers this past March. As reported by The Free Thought Project, even that wasn’t enough, as the overall mission was backed by the largest exercise of its kind, just outside the contested territory:
The exercise, known as Ssang Yong, which means ‘Twin Dragons,’ consists of approximately 9,200 U.S. Marines and 3,100 U.S. Navy personnel who will work alongside 4,500 ROK Marine Corps, 3,000 ROK Navy, 100 Australian Army and 60 Royal New Zealand Army forces.
“The sheer number of personnel involved is extremely impressive,” said Capt. Ed Thompson, commander, Amphibious Squadron 11. “There are a lot of moving parts and things that need to align for a successful exercise. When they do, it is truly amazing to see how we operate together.”
(Source)
Evidently, one additional “moving part” is now being considered: sea drones.
In recent months, we have heard more about the U.S. military – and its allies – turning attention to the sea as a compliment to its development of unmanned aircraft. Just last week, DARPA unveiled plans for a flotilla of 132-foot “Sea Hunter” drones that could roam the seas of the world within 5 years if all goes according to plan. It would be the latest advancement in what already exists under the Control Architecture for Robotic Agent Command and Sensing (CARACaS), which in effect creates robot swarms that can identify and intercept perceived threats.
Meanwhile, US allies will be engaging in Unmanned Warrior 2016, which occurs off the Scottish Coast in October, indicating that the sea very well could be the staging ground for a kickoff to a major conflict.
The United States is apparently confident enough right now to announce that it will indeed prepare to launch submarine drones into the contested space to augment its manned ship presence.
If it seems at all strange that such an announcement would be made public, as clearly the “enemy” is listening far closer than general news readership would be, U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter and Deputy U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Work both have admitted that this is a propaganda campaign which is viewed as its own form of deterrence. Here is an official for the Center for a New American Security, Shawn Brimley, adding his voice to the concept:
The idea is that if we were ever to get into a bust-up in the South China Sea, the Chinese would not know for sure what sort of capabilities the US might have … This might have some deterrent impact on the potential for provocative behaviour.
(Source)
Moreover, the direct action of the U.S. is being coupled with its intent to strengthen regional allies such as the Philippines, which is likely to only make the geopolitical and economic implications more complex.
It appears to be a very dangerous game being played. The region has seen violence in the past, and it is clearly a gamble that advanced weaponry – or at least announcing it – will indeed have a deterrent effect, as opposed to it being seen as a provocation that threatens to cross a final line.
When reports that the U.S. was planning to challenge China’s island claims surfaced in May (2015), a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson urged “relevant countries to refrain from taking risky and provocative action,” according to a report in the Wall Street Journal.
(Source)
Since that statement there has only been escalation. Feel free to leave your comments below on where this confrontation is likely to lead.
(Here are videos of some of the technology which could be slated for the region)
Also Read: Sitting Ducks in China’s Bathtub – an Overture to World War III?
Nicholas West writes for ActivistPost.com. This article may be freely reposted in part or in full with author attribution and source link.
The feds are just DESPERATE to start a major shooting war, from having Turkey shoot down that Russian fighter over Syria to sending the navy in to rattle the Chinese cage. This, combined with all the secret handshake federal reserve banker meetings last week tells me that the economy is about to take a giant crap and the government can’t afford to have that happen unless it can blame the crash on somebody else. Hence the desperation to get their war on…
Other nations are in far more dire straits economically speaking than the US, a major contraction in US markets could easily be made to look organic and done slowly. Don’t let media drums of war get any traction.
UN bigwig Christiana Figueres just announced implementation of the Paris Climate pact will be accelerated by 2 years to begin in 2018, that’s Agenda 2030 = global fiscal austerity, rationing, elite consolidation of control over all resources, etc. >World Bank WAVES & UN Global Env. Facility
China is NWO. Chinese troops were participating in training exercises in Washington state last year with US military personnel. Remember Kissinger’s dream of UN troops securing US cities?
There will always be a certain amount of theater to keep talking head MSM tongues wagging and those in the military believing they are protecting the US from adversaries. If a majority of people understood this, then the engineered conflicts wouldn’t be used, it would be a very different power struggle.
Alrighty then. You launch your drone and I’ll launch my silkworm missile.
Before they actually deploy these latest “deterrent” craft they should figure out how it was that China was able to run their own sub right next to a US ship totally undetected until it surfaced right next to them. US has spent so much time and money pretending to fight folks who don’t have the high tech that they lost the ability to compete with a real national military. So, their solution is to “fake it till they make it”.
All that said, nobody can figure out why US feels it has a right to determine anything about the South CHINA Sea – it’s NOT South USA Sea, after all. When they see Chinese ships/subs within US waters we can talk, till then they appear like children throwing a temper tantrum because they didn’t get their own way. So now they stomp their feet and scream and cry in attempt to make all others do as they say. CHILDISH!!!!
Confrontation is an American specialty. It used it with Russia in Ukraine, with China in the South China Sea, with Iran in the Middle East and many, many other places in the World. Today though, confrontation with the /US is not universally feared, as it once was. If the US courts it, more than likely it will get it! don’t forget that China was quite willing to and in fact did let the matter of sovereignty in the area drift with no overt actions to prove its ownership. It was only the very foolish actions of Japan with respect to the Sendakus that created this current confrontation. Japan actively provoked China and we are now living with the result of that provocation.
“South China Seas Oil Basin”, Google this to understand the Vietnam War and the current interest by the U.S.A. in this region. USA wants to Denominate the sales of this oil in U.S. Dollars and thereby underwrite their corrupt, fiat, funny money, easily manipulated currency, as they did with the Saudis half a century ago. Unfortunately, the new reality, a Chinese.Russian/Indian collusion has grown up in this region, and they want this oil denominated in Yuan for their own purposes.
USA is facing another new factor: The emergence of renewable energy, even in their own country, where the actually fight to prevent its spread! Texas car dealerships refused Electric car sales in their areas.