Posted on 12/13/2013 2:57:59 AM PST by markomalley
Well, since this is obviously a story that leaves a lot to be desired, evidence-wise...
In my expereince, and any other Naval personnel with operational (bridge/command) expereince will know that to determine who actually had the “right-of-way” in this situation, that is what dictates “who” manuevers, and “who” is allowed by international maritime agreements to those rules of the road, to stay on course and speed...
Since we do not have the “DRT” traces, or ships log, Manuevering boards, and any other electronic tracking data, it will be hard to determine who was right or wrong in this case...
If the US ship was the vessel that was required to manuever to avoid collision, then they would have done so, no skin off anyone’s back...The same could be said for any other vessel if they were required by the rules to be the manuevering ship...It is nothing contentious, if you agree to follow the rules...
If the PLA ship decided to play chicken, and make the Cowpens manuevering to avoid collision to be more abrupt than necessary, then hell yeah, someone is going to get a sternly worded letter from John Effin’ Kerry’s sad sacks...
If the PLA ship was doing what it was supposed to be doing in screening or manuevering with their High Value Target (their carrier), that needs to be factored in...They might have had a station to keep, but the rules still apply to them as well...
The Cowpens, if it was independently steaming, then they were on a course to wherever they were going and could have done some things, within reason to avoid closing on any other vessels along its intended course...
Its all up to the data that we do not have...And I can tell you from experience that all that data is being reviewed by people wayyyyyy up the chain of command...
“China is in break up mode. Their country is rapidly aging due to Socialist anti-family policies.”
Where did you hear this? I recently worked with hundreds of Chinese here in the US and in China and most were under 30. They were also extremely well educated, trained, and capable. None were communists but very capitalist, very entrepreneurial. I found each and every one of them to be great people with bright futures. They were very happy and loving life and technology. They know China has issues and they were eager to help fix what was broken, from pollution to politics. While they loved the US they also loved China and knew she was going to be better every year.
“breakup mode”? You have no idea what you are talking about.
Not to mention China has some nifty anti-ship weapons that don’t need a battleship or cruiser to deploy.
D’oh!
/hang my head in shame
Thanks mark.
What was that?
I remember an amusing event that happened, reminiscent of the Christmas story from WWI:
We had a USO group dropped onto our fantail to perform for our crew. We dropped anchor and the band set up. The Soviet Krivak that had been harassing us for days pulled up within a football field’s length and dropped anchor themselves. Their entire crew came out and watched the USO band perform on our ship. We all waved and took pictures back and forth across the water. When the band finished up, the Krivak weighed anchor and pulled away. A few minutes later, their weapons radar locked on to us, and it was business as usual.
That was the trail in the sky all the professional military commentators said was a submarine launched ballistic missile, but all the administration flacks claimed was a commercial jet contrail.
It occurred when Obama was attending an economic summit with the Chinese a few years back.
‘We have exported so many US jobs that I now go into (any) American shopping establishment and see nothing but Chinese made goods in any department.”
Worse than that. The US is import dependent for a lot of the basic industrial materials necessary for an advanced economy. China is a major source of these materials along with Korea and increasingly India. Basic chemicals such as the nitric acid family are no made to any degree in the US due to environmental regulations . Lead is in the same category, the last smelter in the US has announced it will soon close due to new EPA emissions regulations making it economically impossible to continue to operate and compete with foreign material. In order to conduct military operations the US is dependent on electronic parts from East Asia. I have personally heard a senior Army officer state ‘We are dependent on the air bridge to Asia to conduct operations’. Ponder these realities and think about how vital Japan, Korea and Taiwan are to basic US national interests.
I agree. What it really indicates that the Chinese PLAN is now feeling its oats as a blue-water navy, and is willing to play “chicken” with the USN in much the same way the old Soviet navy did.
The major difference is, we never sent our nation’s industry to Russia.
And China has about five times, America’s population.
There are similarities, but huge and very important differences.
China is winning, bigtime.
America faces a new opponent, and we are busy surrendering to them.
I'm not normally a fan of puns, but that was brilliant.
You’ve not stated which side you are on China’s or the USA? Take a stand on this one.
“willing to play “chicken” with the USN in much the same way the old Soviet navy did.”
Do you get that “PWND” feeling sometimes with China? I do.
All true, but China also has some critical problems to face.
Unfortunately, some of their problems, such as their excess males, might be “solved” by sending them on foreign adventures.
Have you read these definitions? If yes, do you completely understand them and can you tell me what government debt is versus a trade “deficit”?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Government_debt
China, like the US, is running a government budget deficit:
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/china
http://www.nationaldebtclocks.org/debtclock/china
China owns about 8% of the $14 trillion plus US debt.
http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/moneymatters/ss/How-Much-US-Debt-Does-China-Own.htm
You have no idea what you are talking about. (irony?)
You could look it up:
http://www.businessinsider.com/8-charts-on-chinese-demographics-2013-11
https://bangordailynews.com/2013/11/18/opinion/chinese-demographics/
http://www.indexmundi.com/china/demographics_profile.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demographics_of_China
What you’ve done is common in poor thinking - confusing subjective, anectdotal evidence, for objective analysis.
Jjotto pinged for abuse of tagline. ;-]
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