Posted on 12/16/2016 9:04:21 AM PST by mandaladon
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Chinese Navy warship has seized an underwater drone deployed by an American oceanographic vessel in international waters in the South China Sea, triggering a formal diplomatic protest
from the United States and a demand for its return, a U.S. defense official told Reuters on Friday.
The incident, the first of its kind in recent memory, took place on Dec. 15 northwest of Subic Bay off the Philippines just as the USNS Bowditch, an oceanographic survey ship, was about to retrieve the unmanned, underwater vehicle (UUV), the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The UUV was lawfully conducting a military survey in the waters of the South China Sea," the official said.
"It's a sovereign immune vessel, clearly marked in English not to be removed from the water - that it was U.S. property."
The Chinese seizure will add to concerns about China's growing military presence and aggressive posture in the disputed South China Sea, including its militarization of maritime outposts.
A U.S. think tank reported this week that new satellite imagery indicated that China has installed weapons, including anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems, on all seven artificial islands it has built in the South China Sea.
The seized underwater drone was part of an unclassified program to collect oceanographic data, including salinity, temperature and clarity of the water, the official added.
Such data can help inform U.S. military sonar data, since sound is affected by such factors.
The United States issued the formal demarche, as such protests are known, through diplomatic channels and included a demand that China immediately return the underwater drone.
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
Yes...but it shifts with the tides just like a red line can shift with the wind blown Syrian sands.
Seriously though. This is the big boy nations version of having your f’n lunch tray taken away with your fork in your hand.
What will we do? Not a G.D. thing.
Of Course!
That Chinese boat should have been blasted right out of the water. Those underwater drones are highly classified and now the Chinese will be able to reverse engineer them and close a 10 year gap they had in such technology.
Can you draw a red line in the ocean?
of course....right next to the red X where he buried Bin Laden
No evidence of Russian hacking and he wants to take action. He's completely backwards on every issue.
Hence, leading from behind.
Reminds me of our most sophistcated ariel drone hussein gave to the Iranians.
Bammy is too busy figuring out how to give Putin a wedgie over alleged hacking.
Need to equip drones with a command destruct feature. You capture it and we blow it up, if you are near it, sorry about that.
I understand he's trying to get in touch with Dirk Pitt.
Another check for Obama’s Retirement Fund for the Drone
Why W. let that happen is beyond me.
0 or the Krintons would have gladly keep it.
Equip drone subs with self-destruct devices triggered when removed without appropriate code.
China’s expected answer to obamas diplomatic demand ‘bite me lame duck boy’
We can assome now obama will issue a putinesque type threat to ‘some time, some how’ he will respond with a forceful revenge. That would be 2 red lines in one day, a new record.
The crew should have done some kind of sabotage or the like.
“Recover the drones.”
“Ay, Captain. The Chinese ship appears to have stopped and is launching a boat. What should we do?”
“Hmmmm. Perhaps they are finally delivering that General Tsos Chicken I ordered last year. Does anybody have some cash for a tip?”
Photo is about to take off on vacay...
Photo is about to take off on vacay...
——You can bet your life that this won’t happen on President Trump’s watch...——
I won’t take that bet...
You think the Chinese aren’t going to test Trump from day one?
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