An Osprey carrying members of the Japanese Self-Defense Forces touching down in Gunma, Japan.
Wall Street Journal: Marines Prepare for Rising Challenge From China’s Military With Island Training
Drilling in Japan, U.S. forces practice recapturing territory as Beijing develops into ‘near-peer’ rival
CAMP SOUMAGAHARA, Japan—The Marine Corps is stepping up training in Japan for island-based conflict in the Western Pacific, putting it at the leading edge of a pivot by the U.S. to face the military challenge from China.
The Marines are preparing for a far larger and more sophisticated adversary than extremists in the Middle East and Afghanistan, the focus of their operations in recent years. China’s military satellites, cyberwarfare capabilities, use of artificial intelligence and narrowing gap with U.S. firepower make it what the Pentagon calls a “near-peer” rival.
At one of a series of recent exercises, a few dozen Marines faded into long grass after touching down in two CH-47 Chinook helicopters, followed by Japanese soldiers arriving in two Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft. Their simulated mission: avoiding detection and recapturing a port on an island inside the range of much of the enemy’s missiles and artillery.
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WNU Editor: It is not only the US Marines who are training to confront China. These Marines are training with their Japanese counterparts.
The Islands they claim the own are very vulnerable and far,far away from mainland China.
ReplyDeleteAre the Paracels closer to Singapore than China? I think not.
ReplyDeleteAre the Spratlies closer to Singapore than China? It is about the same.
Subic is closer, but we do not have a base there any more.
I've been to the South China Sea a few times.
There have been Chinese fishermen, merchants and naval personnel in those islands going back centuries.
The Vietnamese claim to the Paracels is based on the French colonial claim. Is a colonial claim even valid? I think the Chinese claim to the Spratlies is weak. Yes, Chinese fishermen visited those islands for centuries and left artifacts. I bet Malay and other fishermen visited those islands too.
I think although the Chinese claim to the Paracels is much stronger and almost air tight, the Chinese could build better alliances by cutting the Vietnamese in and cutting the Americans out. At leas that is what I would do, if I were Xi. But I am not and no one asks me.
Besides distances and balance of forces, where are the Americans going to get aspirin and spare parts if not from the Chinese. Sure the DOD buys American, which is difficult and expensive as the industrial base falls. But the Pentagon is still vulnerable to hacking via Chinese parts. Go to war with China and you might be digging thru the city dump.
We use to have holy cites like Cleveland, Detroit, Toledo and Akron. No so much now.
Holy Toledo?
ReplyDeleteI called the industrial cities that made capital goods or the tool and dies to make such goods holy cities. It is in response the Khomeini and other claiming QOM was a holy city and every other city in Iran and Iraq a holy city. Khomeini was of the opinion that if anyone not them was anywhere near their holy cities was bad, but you could do anything to any American city like murder 3,000 people.
ReplyDeleteConsider the knowledge, discipline and effort that goes into making something.