China Is Still Upset Over U.S. Warship Passage In The South China Sea

USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) in 2012. US Navy Photo

USNI News: China Upset Over ‘Unprofessional’ U.S. South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Operation


Chinese officials issued several condemnations of the latest U.S. freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea in which an American guided missile destroyer came within 12 nautical miles of Chinese administered Triton Island in the Paracel Island chain.

Hours following the pass of USS Curtis Wilbur (DDG-54) Chinese state controlled media published rhetorically charged statements from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of National Defense.

The Wilbur FON op was “unprofessional and irresponsible… the U.S. act severely violated Chinese law, sabotaged the peace, security and good order of the waters, and undermined the region’s peace and stability,” National Defense spokesman Yang Yujun said on Saturday.

Read more ....

Update: China Claims U.S. Destroyer Was ‘Driven Off’ From Disputed South China Sea Island

WNU Editor: This American guided missile destroyer only came within 12 nautical miles of Chinese administered Triton Island in the Paracel Island chain ... not within the 12 nautical mile limit. But the Chinese had to react because they know that it is not the U.S. that will be the biggest opponent to their border claims .... but their neighbours .... and this Chinese posturing is being done more for their benefit and not Washington's.

These Are The 6 Emerging Technologies That The Pentagon Is Betting On

Fingertip: The US Air Force unveiled insect-sized spies 'as tiny as bumblebees' that could not be detected and would be able to fly into buildings

Brendan Orino, Brookings: Six technologies that the U.S. military is betting on

At a time when budgetary resources at the Pentagon are being squeezed, the U.S. military is in search of force multipliers. From the nuclear enterprise to command and control to robotics and beyond, emerging technologies offer ways to modernize forces in innovative—and often efficient—ways.

On January 21, Michael O’Hanlon sat down with General Paul J. Selva of the United States Air Force and vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to discuss the future of military technology innovation. Selva explained that “We are going to place multiple small bets on places where we think we can make a difference, where we think the leverage of the technology exists to actually move the enterprise forward, and look at the potential for a third offset.” Particularly, technologies in the commercial sector could provide the force multiplier effects the military is looking for. By changing the way forces organize around available technologies, “we might be able to change the pace and scope of the fight on the battlespace,” Selva said.

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WNU Editor: There are still limits to number 4 (artificial intelligence)  and number five (missile defense) .... and one can debate if it is even possible. But the rest of these emerging technologies are feasible and deployable .... what is lacking is the money to  fully research and develop these technologies, and the political will to commit to it.

Is This The Age Of The Commando?

Mayy Gallagher, New York Times: Welcome to the Age of the Commando

A FEW months ago, my wife and I had dinner with a couple we didn’t know very well. It was awkward at first, but there was wine, and conversation soon followed. At one point, the wife asked about my tour in Iraq, where I served four years as a cavalry officer. I began talking about the desert, the tribal politics and the day-to-day travails of counterinsurgency. “That’s all fine,” the husband interrupted. “But tell us about the super-soldiers. The Special-Ops guys. That’s what people care about.”

He had no time for “G.I. Joe.” He wanted “American Sniper.”

He is not alone. The mythos of Special Operations has seized our nation’s popular imagination, and has proved to be the one prism through which the public will engage with America’s wars. From the box office to bookstores, the Special Ops commando — quiet and professional, stoic and square-jawed — thrives. That he works in the shadows, where missions are classified and enemy combatants come in silhouettes of night-vision green, is all for the better — details only complicate. We like our heroes sanitized, perhaps especially in murky times like these.

The age of the commando, though, is more than pop cultural fantasy emanating from Hollywood. It’s now a significant part of our military strategy.

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WNU Editor: I have seen this cultural change shift within this blog over the years. Before the Osama Bin Laden raid there was little if any discussion on Special Operations .... after the raid everyone wanted to know everything that there is to know about Special operations .... and more. And Washington .... they all embraced Special Operations as a means to wage war without the messy deployments and consequences of their policies, and are rewarding this "new age" with even more monies and resources.

Facing A Massive Cash Shortfall Nigeria Requests $3.5B In Emergency Loans From The World Bank

IBTimes: Amid Low Oil Prices, Nigeria Requests $3.5B From World Bank As Africa's Largest Economy Struggles

Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has requested $3.5 billion in emergency loans amid continuing low oil prices, the Financial Times reported Sunday. The oil exporter is the largest economy in Africa, and a worldwide oil glut has caused worsening financial problems throughout the nation.

"I think we all agree that Nigeria is facing significant external and fiscal accounts challenges from the sharp fall in ... oil prices, as of course are all oil exporters,” the International Monetary Fund's representative in Nigeria told the Financial Times Sunday, adding they were not yet considering emergency loans.

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WNU Editor: This emergency loan is not going to solve Nigeria's current economic troubles. The "rot" in Nigeria is far deeper than that .... Nigeria may lose 37% of GDP to corruption (Punch).

More News On Nigeria Requesting $3.5B In Emergency Loans From The World Bank

Nigeria in Talks to Borrow $3.5 Billion as Oil Saps Budget -- Bloomberg
Africa's largest economy needs a $3.5 billion emergency loan after getting hammered by the oil crash -- Business Insider
Nigeria asks for $3.5bn emergency loans -- Financial Times
Nigeria in 'exploratory talks' with World Bank, not asking for emergency loans-minister -- Reuters
"Time To Panic"? Nigeria Begs World Bank For Massive Loan As Dollar Reserves Dry Up -- Zero Hedge

Hard Economic Times For Saudi Arabia

The Telegraph: Oil price crash: Saudis told to embrace austerity as debt defaults loom

Kingdom faces a future of higher taxes and low fuel subsidies amid fears the world's weakest oil producers will soon begin to buckle

Saudi Arabia faces years of tough austerity as the worst oil price crash in the modern history forces the kingdom to make radical cuts to government largesse, the International Monetary Fund has warned.

The world's largest producer of crude oil will need to "transform" its economy away from oil revenues, which make up more than 80pc of the government's wealth, according to Masood Ahmed, head of the Middle East department at the IMF.

The Saudi monarchy has already been forced to unveil the largest programme of government austerity in decades as oil prices have collapsed by more than 70pc in 18 months.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I am not going to cry over their "hard times".

Territorial Control In Syria According To The Latest Map Ffrom Study Of War

#NEWSGRAPHIC Territorial control in Syria according to the latest map from @TheStudyofWar pic.twitter.com/ScGvbVuQks

— AFP news agency (@AFP) February 1, 2016

Tweet For Today

.@USNavy's USS Toledo transits through the #ArabianGulf. @CENTCOM @US5thFleet pic.twitter.com/F9Zy1LgK1X

— U.S. Dept of Defense (@DeptofDefense) February 1, 2016

China's Master Plan To Destroy The U.S. Navy in Battle

Chinese Navy submarines and warships take part in an international fleet review to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Liberation Army Navy in Qingdao, Shandong province, April 23, 2009. Guang Niu/Pool/Reuters

Harry J. Kazianis, National Interest: This Is China's Master Plan to Destroy the U.S. Navy in Battle

When Chinese officers go to bed at night, what do they fear most?

Despite all the hard work, all the billions of dollars spent, no Chinese sailor wants to tangle with the U.S. Navy. As one retired Chinese senior defense official told me in late 2014: “The 3 A.M. crisis ‘call’ I feared the most is that we were at war with your navy.”

While such a statement surely tickles the hearts of Pentagon officials, know this: Fear, when focused properly, can make the mind—and the collective power of nations—help craft solutions to complex military challenges that might at one time have seemed nearly impossible.

For example, during the 1995-1996 Taiwan Crisis, Beijing’s ‘nightmares’ were nearly realized. When faced with a superior military power that could deploy massive amounts of advanced naval assets and project power from multiple domains like no other nation in history, China simply could not compete. Chinese leaders, especially President Jiang Zemin, would fear the power of American Carrier Battle Groups (CBGs) and their ability to negate what little military might Beijing could bring to bear on Taipei. At one point, there is strong evidence to suggest China could not even find the location of U.S. Carriers—a big problem for sure. The crisis would clearly shape Beijing’s thinking on the development of weapons that could provide an asymmetric edge.

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WNU Editor: I am disappointed in this post. I expected to read "the Master Plan" .... but what I got was the obvious .... China will use (a lot of) mines and missiles to sink the US Navy. Duh!!!!!

Picture Of The Day

A member of the Golden Knights, the Army's demonstration team, salutes as he exits a Fokker C-31A troopship during a training jump over Homestead Air Reserve Base, Fla., Jan. 21, 2016. New York Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Christopher S. Muncy

U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship Struggled In Recent War Games Against Fast-Attack Small Boats

The Littoral Combat Ship, designed for operations in shallow coastal waters, is made in two versions by Lockheed Martin Corp. and Austal Ltd. Source: U.S. Navy Photo

Bloomberg: New U.S Navy Ship Struggles in Test to Fend Off Attacking Boats

* Fast-attack small boats like Iran's enter `keep-out' zone
* Pentagon's testing chief also discloses more reliability flaws

The U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship struggled in drills at sea to fend off a swarm of small attacking vessels like the Iranian boats it could encounter in the Persian Gulf, according to the Pentagon’s chief weapons tester.

The fast-attack boats were ultimately defeated by the USS Coronado during three mock engagements in August and September to test its guns and targeting gear. But in two exercises an attacker came too close, penetrating the vessel’s “keep-out” zone, Pentagon testing director Michael Gilmore said in his annual report on major weapons submitted to congressional defense committees.

While Gilmore didn’t mention Iran as a threat, its Islamic Revolutionary Guards operate small boats with crews trained for swarming attacks in the contested waters of the Persian Gulf. The Coronado’s “inability to defeat this relative modest threat beyond ‘keep-out’ range routinely under test conditions raises questions about its ability to deal with more challenging threats,” Gilmore added.

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WNU Editor: The U.S. Air Force has the F-35 (and its problems) .... and the U.S. Navy has the Littoral Combat Ship (and its problems).