Posted on 12/08/2021 6:38:36 AM PST by blam
stunning new report claims that China has been “secretly developing Trojan Horse-style missiles hidden in shipping containers” at a time when shipping and logistics is a key global focus.
The new allegations, raised in a report by The U.S. Sun, state that the missiles could be “unleased on enemy ports” and would be disguised amongst the country’s massive fleet of freighters and fishing vessels – which could then be “turned into warships” using the secret missiles.
The missiles could “blend in seamlessly” with hundreds of other containers on board ships, the report says. The shipping vessels are tougher to pinpoint than warships in the event of war, the report notes.
Rick Fisher, senior fellow in Asian military affairs at the International Assessment and Strategy Center, said of the potential Trojan Horse strategy that “it is likely” China has the missiles necessary.
Retired Navy Capt. Jim Fanell, a former Pacific Fleet intelligence chief, told the Sun that such ships could “add a significant threat” to the U.S. Navy.
The idea of such missiles made their way out into the public in 2016, during an arms fair. Since then, there has been speculation that they may be in service in China’s armed forces.
Fisher says that the type of weapon fits China’s military strategy and could be used after being smuggled into foreign ports all over the world.
“Chinese strategic preferences for surprise would strongly argue for acquisition” of the missiles, he said. They could be placed on “nondescript small Chinese ships in order to mount surprise missile raids against shore defenses to assist follow on amphibious or airborne invasion forces,” he continued.
They would “offer China’s leadership a wide array of options,” he continued, including “using larger container ships, thousands of fishing ships or stored containers in ports, to undertake military or terror mission strikes in a manner that can be denied if desired”.
“The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) is fully capable of using containerized missiles to sow chaos when desired,” he added.
He also speculated about the potential use of an EMP in conjunction with such missiles.
He concluded: “The EMP blast might take out electronics on the [submarines] and all over the base without having to launch a nuclear missile from China. Washington would be in chaos, would not know against whom to retaliate, and perhaps China uses American distraction to begin its real objective, the military conquest of Taiwan.”
Oops. Sorry, I thought it was linked.
There Are Growing Fears That China Could Be Hiding Missiles In Containerships Worldwide
That article is from April, 2016, five years ago. Got anything more recent?
Why is this a surprise? I just though that this was logical - you have an aggressive, expansionist power, and such nations have traditionally violated every treaty (if there is even one on this subject to which China is a signatory - and I doubt that) and every norm of civilized behavior to maximize their power...or their ability to obtain more power via a surprise attack on more powerful enemies.
Hell, last night I watched “Pearl Harbor” (the 2001 movie) again. How naive we were to expect Japan, which even then had a reputation (earned by their surprise attack on Russia’s Far East fleet at Port Arthur in 1904) for violating international norms. Why on Earth would we think that China (which sprung a surprise attack on mainly US forces in Korea in 1950) would abide by such norms. They are engaged in genocide right now, they are (in violation of international law) building island bases in the Pacific and calling them their sovereign territory, they manipulate their currency in violation of agreements, etc., etc. Why would anyone think otherwise about cruise missiles in cargo chips?
The solution here is to:
1) Have a US administration that actually understands China’s aggressiveness and wishes to push back against it (we had one of those until about 11 months ago, and hopefully will in about 3 years, but for now we’re screwed);
2) Require as a prerequisite to being able to import goods into this country that ALL other nations have their cargo containers and ships inspected by US inspectors at their port of departure. Don’t like it, too damned bad - then sell your products somewhere else. They pay for the inspections on a per container or per ship basis (and more for larger ships); that will pay for the inspectors and their equipment, and the inspectors will not only be looking for missiles and nuclear material, but also infectious cargo, bugs, invasive species of animals and plants, etc. IOW, this would be a program aimed at protecting the US and its population from a hostile power, and it would employ a lot of US citizens.
3) Institute the controls over immigration that the Trump Administration had in effect when it left office - but do that from Day One.
4) Limit, by over 90%, the number of Chinese nationals able to be in this country working and/or going to school. I have been unable to see any benefit to this country from such activities, whereas the opportunities for China to spy on us or sabotage us are legion, and even if there was none of that (in some fantasy world), we would still be educating and giving practical experience to our largest and most dangerous economic and political/military enemy. What the Hell is wrong with us? Are the Russians under Putin (arguably a very patriotic and nationalistic leader, whatever his other qualities and actions) allowing anything at all like this with their competitors/enemies? Nope, not a chance...which begs the question of why we’re being so damned stupid, and have been for decades with little hope (other than 4 years under Trump) for any change of attitude or action.
“Do you recall the Palermo Senator incident off the NJ coast back in 2002...?”
Thanks for bringing it up, now I know more. Things (and people) like your post and you are why I love FR - we, as a group, have a depth of knowledge and expertise that is unmatched anywhere else.
“I asked a man who has been in container shipping for 35 years about this threat. He asked me what did I think was in OUR containers? Hmmm...tit for tat?”
Canada's CPPIB to buy Ports America from Oaktree to further infrastructure push
Watchdog raises concern about Canadian pension investments in China
FMC Commissioners Call for Scrutiny of Canadians Buying Ports America
Canadians. That's a good one.
Thanks.
Did not Øbowel claim the US under him could absorb a first strike and not retaliate?
I went back and looked at that sentence. I was typing fast. I meant to say they “won’t” take out the subs.
My mistake.
We aren’t going to shoot a dann thing at China. The only enemy our military will be allowed to totally destroy is us.
I would have to search for more recent. There could be some more recent articles out there.
I have not been able to countenance his Botox-ed visage since he declared the shameful retreat from Afghanistan was a “great success”. Didn’t care for him at all before that, but at this time, I just shut him off every time I see him.
Carrier pilots are in a class of their own. Just because they build a hunk of metal and call it a “carrier” does not give their pilots the training or the ability of a US top dog. Let’s see how fast this “navy” of theirs can go say hi to Davy Jones.
No argument.
But we’re probably only 5 or 10 yrs from the point where carrier ops will be totally done on auto pilot.
“Limit, by over 90%, the number of Chinese nationals able to be in this country working and/or going to school. ...”
My former employer used to represent a Chinese national who, to get out of China, swam towards Taiwan, got lost, was picked up by Chicom navy and arrested, served time in jail, studied astronomy and navigation and made the same swim by night, navigated by stars, and made it safe to Taiwan, then immigrated legally to the United States. He’s not going back. America is for just such refugees.
That’s what you get for being a ‘white supremacist’ and undermining demoncrazy.
Swimming 100 miles in open ocean is impressive.
We represented him in an accident, and one of the items of damage was that he could no longer swim well.
But he wasn’t doing it to show off his athletic prowess; he was desperate to get out from under the commies and live free. Anyone who would do a stunt like that to gain his freedom should stay.
Those are the kind of people that we want. The children of CCP Politburo members who are coming here to learn or work in the nuclear industry or computers, with every intention of going back...not so much.
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