Posted on 08/13/2020 7:49:41 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
Three American B-2 stealth bombers have arrived in the Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia on the eve of Chinese live-firing naval exercises north of Taiwan.
It is the first time the nuclear-capable strategic bombers have been sent to the remote island since 2016, in an indication of the growing concern about China’s intentions towards Taiwan.
The bombers flew across the Pacific from Whiteman air force base in Missouri to land at Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. With their advanced stealth technology, the B-2s can penetrate enemy territory without alerting air-defence radars.
This week just as major Chinese live-firing naval drills were being conducted north of Taiwan, the US flew three of B-2 stealth bombers to its Diego Garcia base in the Indian Ocean.
China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) held a series of multi-branch drills in the Taiwan Strait and northern areas this week. According to a PLA statement it's in response to external countries sending the “wrong” signals to Taiwan’s pro-independence forces - clearly directed at Washington given the high level American delegation currently visiting Taipei - which Beijing says is a threat to peace and stability.
Washington is sending its own counter-message in its stepped up presence in the Indo-Pacific, as The Times continues: "The bombers flew across the Pacific from Whiteman air force base in Missouri to land at Diego Garcia, part of the British Indian Ocean Territory. With their advanced stealth technology, the B-2s can penetrate enemy territory without alerting air-defence radars."
This also comes days after New Zealand and Australian based defense sources accused the PLA of building up amphibious assault units along the coast just opposite Taiwan. Satellite images which circulated were presented as depicting additional marine amphibious craft activity near the self-ruled island.
(Excerpt) Read more at thetimes.co.uk ...
#5. You leave out several key “defense strategy” points for Taiwan (I was there, got briefed on certain issues in the early 70’s, etc).
First, we don’t know if Taiwan has nuclear weapons. They are NOT stupid people. Well educated, devoted to their freedom (my classmate was elected PM later on).
They can certainly produce enough nuclear scientists and materials to make basic nukes, and as the old saying goes, “one nuke can ruin your whole day” (Peking/Shanghai take not).
A lot of small nukes can remake the eastern, heavily populated cities/ports of Red China into junk pile in minutes.
No one knows what kind of sub delivery systems the ROC have. Even their smaller boats can pack a big wallop.
The same for underground shielded missile systems. Some could be in the mountains on the eastern side of the island and could get off their salvoes before being hit.
Invading an island about 90 miles away from the mainland is not the same as invading Quemoy and Matsu which are much closer.
Red China is playing “chicken” right now on the seas and are about to learn a lesson where the “chicken” gets its goose cooked.
Also important is that the Red Chinese are making serious influence/takeover moves in Mauritius, a radical Islamic country in the Indian Ocean (in a flanking move to Diego Garcia which they claim). The Maldives (Islands) are under heavy RC pressure and business infiltration.
Next would be Madagascar, which would control the whole eastern side of Africa and a good part of the Indian Ocean.
India is no longer sitting on their turbans/Nehru hats, but are instead building up their military in a serious counter-measure to RC influences and threats in the area.
So. Korea is going to build its first aircraft carrier, Vietnam in getting seriously worried about RC attacks on their border or on shipping, Thailand is silently worried, as is Burma (which has a massive border with Red China.
Only the Philippines is a questionmark now with Duterte being erratic and leaning to RC for political reasons and to piss off the US.
Other than that, “All Is Not Quiet on the Indian Ocean/So. China Seas Front”.
“...Frankly, Taiwan isn’t worth it for us....”
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Hmmm... I’ve misjudged you...Neville Chamberlain has been reborn.
Like any good communist or socialist they need a host, take away the host and they wither and die. To bad we cant get the globalist puppet run EU on board. Its us and us alone in this
Where in the world is Diego Garcia?
You want to stop an amphibious invasion. Lay minefields... lots of them. The reason that the landings at Inchon (1950) were the last (major) amphibious operation wasn’t for lack of planning. There was supposed to be another landing on the Korean eastcoast. The Koreans laid minefields at the approaches to the most suitable beaches. The Iraqi’s did the same thing during Gulf War I. Gen. Schwarzkopf never seriously considered doing an amphibious landing. 2 major navy ships — a cruiser and a helicopter carrier — hit mines anyway.
and watch their people revolt against the Chinese Community Party and overthrow them ... they’re liars, cheats, and thieves. They steal our secrets and our technology, they make crooked deals, and they lie to us about deadly viruses
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After millions are slaughtered in a another Chinese civil war, we can sit back and watch as the Chinese install an even more repressive dictatorship - as they have done historically for thousands of years.
All the nefarious things (which they did) you accuse them of are due to American hubris, stupidity and naivety. Corporate and in Government America is a rube, trusting in the innate goodness of others which does not exist in large part
I think I’ve figured it out. You’re Bill Gates.
And here’s Mini Me.
Israel and Taiwan have been strategic cousins for decades. Easy to see an “intellectual” engineering exchange that might have left Formosa with some nasty surprises for the motherland forces.
B-21? That “not-to exceed cost” is pretty funny. The whole point of the exercise is to exceed any stated cost.
“Frankly, Taiwan isn’t worth it for us.”
Your argument has shifted from “China will occupy in 24hrs”...to “it’s not worth it for us to stop them”.
An observation only.
That was not an operational weapon system.
Not shifted; it’s both.
We can’t stop China from taking Taiwan or obliterating it. Either would happen before we could gather enough of a response to make a difference and avoid getting a lot of men and hardware shredded.
Once we gather forces to project power, then yes, we could take it back. Yes, we could beat the Chinese military down. Eventually. We’re talking years of massive conflict costing trillions of dollars. We’ll have no good forward operating bases for the vast majority of it. We’re talking pure naval based power projection against a modern interdiction focused fleet and an air force and land based SAM and anti-ship missile forces full of stolen western technology and purchased Russian technology.
And all along the way, we’re risking the fight going nuclear. Either nuclear in the local theatre (e.g. China uses tactical nuclear torpedoes and/or cruise missiles to take out carriers) or even possibly full scorched Earth strategic nuclear launch. The former is unlikely, but certainly a possibility if China thinks they can cripple our military response and avoid a full-scale nuclear war. The latter is extremely unlikely, but far moreso than without a military conflict at all.
So yes, China can take Taiwan before we can do anything about it. And we can take Taiwan back (it’ll be smoldering ruins without a living thing on it by the time we do), but that cost would be so far beyond what we’re willing to pay. So we might huff and puff, but we will not engage the Chinese in direct military conflict. Not gonna happen. Not unless Chinese troops start landing at Virginia Beach. President Trump will find other ways to hurt them. Biden? He’d probably apologize to them and ask where the bathroom is.
You and I do not share this opinion.
I believe you to be be inflating Chinese capability while underestimating our own.
If China could take Taiwan, they would have already done so.
But they cannot.
Neither is the main gun on the Zumwalts or the entire LCS program, by that standard. Or the F-35.
“The last thing on Earth we’ll ever do is send multi-billion dollar bombers into the heart of Chinese air defenses and start a war over Taiwan.”
So your position is we would be starting a war, not the communists.
Ok comrade, you’ve exposed yourself.
“WELCOME TO FREE REPUBLIC”
Yeah, a new ChiCom propagandist.
The F-35 is operational and regularly flies over hostile environments with impunity.
The LCS is operational and a true POS as you stated. It’s also being replaced by a blue water frigate.
The Zumwalts are R&D platforms and USN didn’t expect them to be operational assets. But they lied about that to get it funded. Notice the newest Burkes are the ones under construction and contract.
Diego Garcia, DGar, The Footprint of Freedom.
It is a small island in the middle of the Indian Ocean. Google map it. Been there done that in my Navy years, twice.
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