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In the early hours of Thursday morning, the Chinese military said that it drove away a U.S. guided missile destroyer that had "illegally" enter Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea.
According to the Southern Theatre Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), the USS Milius entered waters near the disputed Paracel Islands before being warned by the PLA and allegedly driven away by the Chinese military. The U.S. and its Western allies have long denied that the waters belong to China after Beijing militarized several island chains in the region years ago.
While China's account of Thursday's incident indicates that the PLA forced the U.S. destroyer to leave the waters, the U.S. Navy's 7th Fleet denies the claims.
Lt. j.g. Luka Bakic referred to the destroyer's actions as part of a routine operation in international waters and said of the incident, "USS Milius is conducting routine operations in the South China Sea and was not expelled" and added that "The United States will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows."
The Chinese continue to disagree with a PLA spokesman calling the event an "illegal incursion into Chinese territorial waters... without permission from the Chinese government, harming peace and stability" in the region.
"The theatre forces will maintain a high state of alert at all times and take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security and peace and stability in the South China Sea," the spokesman concluded.
The Parcel Islands are claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan, both U.S. allies, which has caused encounters with rival vessels to quickly escalate into intense standoffs.
The U.S. for years has consistently maintained that incidents that the PLA is calling "illegal incursions" are really 'innocent passages' that follow international maritime law, which means that permission is not needed to transit through the disputed waters. Beijing, however, has always challenged Washington's stance on U.S. intrusions into waters the Chinese see as theirs.
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Beijing has not wasted any time expressing its discontent with the new AUKUS nuclear submarine deal between the U.S., Australia, and the UK that was announced by Joe Biden on Monday at Naval Base Point Loma in San Diego alongside Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Biden emphasized during the announcement that the agreement to provide nuclear submarine technology to Australia is not "a challenge to anybody" and added that "These boats will not have any nuclear weapons of any kind."
However, China disagreed as its foreign ministry accused the U.S. and its allies of having a "Cold War mentality," which sets them on a "dangerous path" and will "only motivate an arms race." Beijing spokesperson Wang Wenbin also noted that the submarine deal for Australia's military will "damage the international nuclear nonproliferation regime, and harm regional stability and peace."
During a daily briefing, Wang added, "The latest joint statement issued by the U.S., U.K., and Australia shows that the three countries have gone further down the wrong and dangerous path for their own geopolitical self-interest, completely ignoring the concerns of the international community."
Beijing's recent comments are not the first time that China has accused Australia of violating its own 'nuclear weapons free' policy by securing nuclear-powered subs. Wang reaffirmed China's long-held assertion that it poses a "serious risk of nuclear proliferation and violating the object and purpose of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons."
Wang went on to accuse the 3 nations of "coercing" the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) into granting them an endorsement, saying, "The three countries claim that they will abide by the highest nuclear non-proliferation standards, which is pure deception."
Australia also garnered China's attention when Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles commented in a press conference on Tuesday that "the biggest conventional military build-up... seen since the end of the second world war," is happening in the region. While Marles did not name China specifically, his remarks clearly referenced Beijing.
Also, much to China's chagrin, recent reports have surfaced indicated that the U.S. Navy is planning a full-service submarine base in Australia, which would be a major hub capable of overseeing all submarine deployments in the Asia-Pacific region. The base would have the capabilities to not only oversee sub deployments but also to produce and repair boats as well.
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The Pentagon is concerned amid a rise in “troubling” reports that cooperation is increasing between Moscow and Beijing regarding China’s efforts to build new nuclear weapons. On Wednesday and Thursday, the Department of Defense (DOD) made an official accusation regarding the reports.
The Assistant Defense Secretary for Space Policy, John F. Plumb, said during a Wednesday House Armed Services’ strategic forces subcommittee hearing, “It’s very troubling to see Russia and China cooperating on this.”
“They may have talking points around it, but there’s no getting around the fact that breeder reactors are plutonium, and plutonium is for weapons. So I think the [Defense] Department is concerned. And, of course, it matches our concerns about China’s increased expansion of its nuclear forces as well because you need more plutonium for more weapons,” Plumb added.
Despite Plumb’s comments during the hearing, the DOD appeared to have a hard time keeping up with which radioactive material Russia was supplying to China.
Plumb also discussed Beijing diversifying its high-tech weapons arsenal with assistance from Russia. Changes to the arsenal include high-altitude surveillance balloons, like the one shot down by the U.S. last month, and even hypersonic missiles with nuclear tips.
“China is engaged in a significant and fast-paced expansion and diversification of its nuclear forces. Also, Russia and China view space as a warfighting domain,” Plumb told the subcommittee.
Meanwhile, Congressmen are calling on the Biden administration to disrupt the relationship between China and Russia to interrupt the sharing of weapons technology between the two countries.
Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO), who is the subcommittee chairman, said, “I’m hopeful that we will see a comprehensive strategy from the administration to break this relationship – and ideally shatter Rosatom.”
The DOD’s accusations come dangerously close to the recent pull out of Russia from the New START nuclear arms treaty, with Putin announcing last month that Moscow was suspending the agreement.
Lamborn said about the New START suspension and the exchange of treaty-mandated nuclear information, “It is curious that we provide Russia with this benefit under the treaty when Russia is no longer reciprocating.”
Many in Washington are beginning to view the Russian and China ‘threats’ as intertwined, largely in part to Russia’s war in Ukraine and Beijing’s continued support for Moscow.
In recent weeks, American intelligence has begun to report that Beijing is considering providing lethal weapons to Russia for its use in Ukraine.
Last week Rep. Mike Tuner (R-OH) told NBC’s Meet the Press, “The problem with China entering this is because you’ve got the West giving weapons to Ukraine.”
“You’ve got Russia depleting their stores. We obviously – the West together have an ability to impact Ukraine greater than Russia alone does,” Turner added.
Unfortunately, with China’s backing, Russia would become a much more powerful enemy for Ukraine and its Western allies to contend with. In the meantime, the U.S. government continues put pressure on Beijing over its ‘no limits’ partnership with Moscow.
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In an effort to expand and overhaul its navy, Australia has signed a deal with the U.S. to purchase 5 Virginia-class nuclear submarines beginning in the next decade. Both U.S. and European officials have disclosed the deal as part of a landmark defense agreement between the U.S., Australia, and the U.K. in an effort to counter China.
The agreement is central to the newly formed AUKUS partnership. The sub deal is expected to be announced on Monday when President Joe Biden meets with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in San Diego.
At the time of the partnership's formation 18 months ago, Biden said, "We all recognize the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long term," adding that "We need to be able to address both the current strategic environment in the region and how it may evolve."
The Virginia-class submarines cost $3 billion each and will be built in Virginia and Connecticut. Some sources, however, have said that the subs will be built in the UK and Australia using U.S. technology and assistance.
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While the AUKUS partnership has many defense components, one of the most critical is the development of Australia's nuclear submarine capability.
While Western leaders have been careful never to call out China directly, it's clear that the AUKUS partnership is aimed at countering China's influence in the Indo-Pacific. Meanwhile, Beijing has accused Australia of violating prior commitments to provide nuclear weapons or technology to its military.
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China has once again overstepped its bounds, this time in an incident involving the Chinese and Philippine Coast Guards. The Biden administration has denounced China's actions during the incident, which occurred on February 6, but was revealed to the public this week.
On Tuesday, State Department spokesman, Ned Price, berated China for its "provocative and unsafe" interference with the goal of disrupting Philippine vessels' "lawful operations" in the South China Sea.
"More broadly, the PRC's dangerous operational behavior directly threatened regional peace and stability, infringes upon freedom of navigation in the South China Sea as guaranteed under international law, and undermines the rules-based international order," Price added.
According to the U.S. the conflict occurred in an area where China has "no lawful maritime claims" and happened as the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) sailed around Second Thomas Shoal.
A statement from the PCG detailed the incident, saying, "The Chinese ship illuminated the green laser light twice toward the BRP MALAPASCUA, causing temporary blindness to her crew at the bridge. The Chinese vessel also made dangerous maneuvers by approaching about 150 yards from the vessel's starboard quarter."
The PCG went on to call the event "a blatant disregard for, and a clear violation of, Philippine sovereign rights."
While referring to a 1951 mutual defense treaty with the Philippines, Price added, "The United States stands with our Philippine allies in upholding the rules-based international maritime order and reaffirms an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft, including those of the Coast Guard in the South China Sea, would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments."
While this is not the first time that the U.S. has vowed to come to the Philippines' defense against China if necessary, it is clear that Beijing is testing the U.S. position with such blatant provocations in disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Although China has acknowledged the incident, it has claimed that the Philippine Coast Guard entered waters claimed by Beijing.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken also issued a direct warning to China last summer, saying, "We also reaffirm that an armed attack on Philippine armed forces, public vessels, or aircraft in the South China Sea would invoke U.S. mutual defense commitments under Article IV of the 1951 U.S.-Philippines Mutual Defense Treaty."
The PCG incident is just one of several recent provocations on the part of Beijing. China has consistently been conducting show-of-force maneuvers in Taiwanese waters. Earlier this month, a Chinese high-altitude surveillance balloon also drifted across the U.S. before being shot down by an F-22 over the South Carolina coast. In response to the balloon incident, the Navy's Seventh Fleet deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the South China Sea to conduct military exercises with U.S. marines.
China wants Taiwan, an independent democratic island nation off its east coast, to be part of it, and has threatened to take it by force if necessary. While many analysts agree China will invade Taiwan at some point, no one knows when. In this episode of China Uncensored, we look at the prediction one US general made about 2025, why others have predicted different dates, and why Xi Jinping isn't the problem with China's aggressiveness in the Taiwan Strait.
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It's a story that reads more like the latest Bond movie than a current headline, but it is true that a 2,000-pound, 200-foot-tall Chinese high-altitude spy balloon drifted across much of the continental U.S. before being shot down by a single Sidewinder missile fired from an Air Force F-22 a full 6 days after first being detected in U.S. airspace. Now that the balloon has been downed, questions are arising about why it wasn't shot down sooner, what its purpose was, what may have been onboard, and what will happen to the debris being recovered off the coast of Myrtle Beach.
The balloon, which was first detected on January 28 when it drifted into U.S. airspace over the Aleutian Islands, was determined not to pose a physical or military threat but did violate U.S. sovereignty. However, the Pentagon had concerns that falling debris from the balloon, which was floating at 60,000 feet could cause harm to civilians on the ground if it were immediately shot down.
At a press briefing on Monday, a senior defense official confirmed that President Biden gave the order to have the balloon shot down on Wednesday, but that no action was taken until Saturday when the balloon floated over open water. According to the official, "President Biden asked the military to present options and on Wednesday President Biden gave his authorization to take down the Chinese surveillance balloon as soon as the mission could be accomplished without undue risk to us civilians under the balloon's path."
"Military commanders determined that there was undue risk of debris causing harm to civilians while the balloon was overhead," the official added.
With respect as to why the balloon was floating in U.S. airspace, the senior defense official said during Monday's press conference, "The PRC has claimed publicly that the high-altitude balloon operating above the United States is a weather balloon that was blown off course. This is false."
"This was a PRC surveillance balloon. This surveillance balloon purposely traversed the United States and Canada, and we are confident it was seeking to monitor sensitive military sites," the official concluded.
In response to the U.S. destroying the balloon, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a statement Sunday saying, "China will resolutely uphold the relevant company's legitimate rights and interests, and at the same time reserving the right to take further actions in response." The Chinese government has also criticized the U.S. for having "an obvious overreaction and a serious violation of international practice."
While Chinese officials react to the downed balloon in Beijing, some members of Congress in Washington have begun blasting the Biden administration over its lack of action in response to a clear violation of U.S. sovereignty. Roger Wicker (R-MS) who sits on the Senate Armed Services Committee said, "Allowing a spy balloon from the Communist Party of China to travel across the entire continental United States before contesting its presence is a disastrous projection of weakness by the White House."
Meanwhile, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) tweeted, "Now that this embarrassing episode is over, we need answers from the Biden Administration on the decision-making process. Communist China was allowed to violate American sovereignty unimpeded for days. We mus the better prepared for future provocations and incursions by the CCP."
Now that the balloon has been shot down, the U.S. military is undergoing recovery efforts to collect the debris and reverse engineer as much of the balloon as possible in order to further understand what its purpose was.
Debris from the balloon fell roughly 6 miles after it was shot down and has come to rest in 47 feet of water off the coast of South Carolina. The Navy and Coast Guard have both deployed vessels to the debris field to begin setting up a perimeter.
In order to recover the debris, the Navy has deployed the destroyer USS Oscar Austin, the cruiser USS Philippine Sea, and the USS Carter Hall, which is an amphibious landing ship to assist with the recovery efforts.
Gen. Glen VanHerck, commander of North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and Northern Command (NORTHCOM) confirmed on Monday that an explosive ordnance disposal team is on site and has been combing through the debris field. According to VanHerck, the explosive ordnance team is searching for, "glass off solar panels, potentially hazardous material, such as material that is required for batteries to operate in such an environment as this, and even the potential for explosives to detonate and destroy the balloon that - that could have been present."
Despite the surveillance balloon floating over nuclear missile silos and other sensitive sites, the senior defense official on Monday suggested that the military was able to gather sensitive information about the Chinese balloon while it attempted to gather sensitive information about the U.S. Military.
"I would also note that while we took all necessary steps to protect against the PRC surveillance balloon's collection of sensitive information, the surveillance balloon's overflight of U.S. territory was of intelligence value to us," the official said.
"I can't go into more detail, but we were able to study and scrutinize the balloon and its equipment, which has been valuable," the official added.
"We don't know exactly all the benefits that will derive, but we have learned technical things about this balloon and its surveillance capabilities. And I suspect if we are successful in recovering aspects of the debris, we will learn even more," the official concluded.
Any debris from the downed balloon that is collected will be sent to an FBI processing lab in Quantico, Virginia for further analysis.
The Pentagon has also acknowledged reports of a second Chinese surveillance balloon that has been detected flying over Latin America. Both the balloon that transversed the U.S. and the second balloon are part of a fleet of Chinese surveillance balloons that have been released to gather sensitive information and they can be maneuvered remotely using small motors and propellers.
While the military works to recover any remains of the balloon, VanHerck has been working to explain why NORAD reportedly did not detect other Chinese spy balloons that entered U.S. airspace under former President Trump's administration. When questioned about the glaring ineptitude, VanHerck answered vaguely saying, "So those balloons, so every day as a NORAD commander it's my responsibility to detect threats to North America. I will tell you that we did not detect those threats. And that's a domain awareness gap that we have to figure out. But I don't want to go into further detail."
While the spy balloon saga is sure to continue inching us closer to a potential cold war with China, it's a story of many shortcomings and disappointments. As they pile up, it's difficult to determine which is worse, NORAD's utter inability to do its job, President Biden's complete apathy and ineffectual leadership regarding the situation, or the fact that the PRC can seemingly infiltrate a sovereign nation's airspace with no repercussions.
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UPDATE 1/3/22 0855 - Chinese "balloon" in U.S. airspace came from China is of a "civilian nature", China's foreign ministry claims.
A Chinese spy balloon has been detected in the airspace over Montana and is being monitored by the government. The identification of the balloon concerned Senator Steve Daines (R-MT) enough that he wrote of the "concerning event" in a letter to the Department of Defense (DoD). Daines went on to note that Montana airspace includes "Malmstrom Air Force Base (AFB) and the United States' intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) fields."
The senator also expressed that given "the serious nature of the event" he was "requesting a full security briefing from the administration on this situation."
"It is vital to establish the flight path of this balloon, any compromised U.S. national security assets, and all telecom or IT infrastructure on the ground within the U.S. that this spy balloon was utilizing," Dained added.
"As you know, Montana plays a vital national security role by housing nuclear missile silos at Malmstrom AFB," the senator concluded.
Meanwhile, Pentagon spokesperson Brigadier General Patrick Ryder told reporters Thursday, "The United States government has detected and is tracking a high-altitude surveillance balloon that is over the continental United States right now."
"The balloon is currently traveling at an altitude well above commercial air traffic and does not present a military or physical threat to people on the ground," Ryder added.
While such high-altitude balloons operate at 15-22 miles above the earth, well above the altitude of commercial air traffic, the military has taken "custody" of the balloon and deployed stealth fighter jets and other aircraft to observe it.
The spy balloon is estimated to be the size of 3 buses and military commanders have advised President Biden against shooting down the balloon for fear of falling debris injuring civilians on the ground.
Canada's Defense Ministry is also reportedly monitoring a "potential second incident" but did not provide further details.
As for the balloon in Montana, the military intends to continue monitoring it and will continue to take measures to protect any sensitive data from being intercepted by the balloon.
A four-star Air Force general has told his officers to prepare for war with China within two years — instructing them to drill service members “with the full understanding that unrepentant lethality matters most.”
“I hope I am wrong,” Mike Minihan, head of the 50,000-member Air Mobility Command, wrote in the chilling Friday memo, NBC News reported. “My gut tells me we will fight in 2025.”
The Department of Defense sought to downplay the memo. “These comments are not representative of the department’s view on China,” a spokesperson said...
To read more visit the New York Post.
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Russia's state TASS has announced that the Russian navy will be participating along with China and South Africa in joint naval exercises beginning in February off the coast of South Africa.
Three weeks prior to the announcement of the joint exercises, the Russian frigate 'Admiral of the Fleet of the Soviet Union Gorshkov' left port armed with Russia's newly developed Zircon hypersonic cruise missiles for deployment in the Atlantic.
It is believed that the Zircon hypersonic missile can travel at nine times the speed of sound with a range of over 620 miles. The Russian frigate is expected to cross the Mediterranean before heading to the Russian port of Tartus and then heading south.
According to the TASS report, "'Admiral Gorshkov'... will go to the logistic support point in Syria's Tartus, and then take part in joint naval exercises with the Chinese and South African navies."
The joint exercises have also been confirmed by the South African National Defense Force, which has said the drills will take place between February 17 and 26 and will be located off the port cities of Richards Bay and Durban. The Defense Force also described the goal of the drills as being "to strengthen the already flourishing relations between South Africa, Russia, and China."
The upcoming exercises will be the second time the 3 countries have held joint drills since a 2019 exercise.
It should also be noted that the timing of the drills coincides with the one-year anniversary of the February 24 Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Given that South Africa is a U.S. ally, the country is coming under a great deal of criticism for hosting the exercises as well as for allowing Russian warships to enter its ports. South Africa is also one of roughly 3 dozen countries to abstain from a UN vote in 2022 that condemned Russia's annexation of 4 eastern Ukrainian territories.
A statement released by David Feldman, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria, South Africa, said, "We note with concern" South Africa's plan to move ahead with the joint drills "even as Moscow continues its brutal and unlawful invasion of Ukraine."
"We encourage South Africa to cooperate militarily with fellow democracies that share our mutual commitment to human rights and the rule of law," Feldman added.
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According to a new book, "Peril," authored by Bob Woodward, the Joint Chiefs Chairman, General Mark Milley, had secret phone calls with China during which he told the communist government that he would offer China advance warning if the U.S. ever planned to attack.
The book accuses Milley of participating in two secret phone calls with his PLA Chinese counterpart, Gen. Li Zuocheng, on October 20 and January 8, during which Milley assured Zuocheng that the U.S. would not strike China.
CNN ran a story on January 8, the same day as Milley's call with China, that claimed Milley had given then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi reassurance that safeguards were in place in case President Trump at the time had wanted to launch nuclear weapons.
Fox News has reported that 15 people were present for the October 2020 call between Milley and Chinese officials. That call was coordinated by then-Defense Secretary Mark Esper's office prior to Trump's firing of Esper.
After the book's release, Milley issued a statement confirming that he did indeed have two conversations with Zuocheng in which Milley undermined the U.S. President.
Trump's Acting Secretary of Defense from the 2020 election until Inauguration Day referred to Milley's calls with China as an "unprecedented act of insubordination."
Robert Costa, Woodward's co-author, reported on Monday that when then-Speaker Pelosi admitted fears that former president Trump was crazy, Milley agreed that he thought Trump was unstable and assured Pelosi that the nuclear codes were safe.
A few months later, Milley pulled U.S. troops out of Afghanistan in a chaotic withdrawal that left the Taliban in power with $80 billion worth of U.S. weapons and equipment left behind. Some such equipment that still contains the biometric data of thousands of Afghans and Iraqis and hundreds of U.S. military personnel has been popping up for auction on eBay over the past year.
Given, not only the astounding accusations but also blatant admittance to what can be summed up as acts of treason, one must ask what General Milley is still doing holding a government position.
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The State Department announced this week that it has approved the sale of $180 million worth of arms for Taiwan pending Congressional approval. The order is mostly comprised of Volcano anti-tank systems. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry has said that the sale should take approximately a month to complete and that the volcano mine systems would increase the country’s “asymmetric warfare” capabilities.
The announcement of the sale came days after China sent 30 aircraft into Taiwan’s airspace Monday in the largest show of force that China has conducted thus far. Taiwan’s Defense Ministry called the US’s sale of military assets to the country the “cornerstone of maintaining regional stability and peace.” The Defense Ministry cited China’s military exercises as the reason for the buildup of anti-tank systems, saying, “The Chinese Communist Party’s frequent military activities near Taiwan have posted severe military threats to us.”
American companies Northrop Grumman and Oshkosh Corporation are listed as the principal contractors for the Volcano anti-tank mine systems to be sent to Taiwan.
The purchase of the anti-tank mine system is part of Taiwan’s efforts to step up its capabilities to protect its shores from a possible Chinese invasion using amphibious landing craft.
After multiple shows of force from the Chinese PLA in recent weeks, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen vowed to increase the country’s civil defense systems saying, “The more preparations we make, the less likely there will be rash attempts of aggression. The more united we are, the stronger and safer Taiwan would become.”
The massive show of force on Monday appears to be retaliation for the US including $10 billion in loans in its 2023 National Defense Authorization Act for Taiwan to purchase US-made weapons and equipment. China has made it clear that it will keep pressure on Taiwan by conducting military exercises and drills near the island as well as sending aircraft and warships across the Taiwan Straight median line.
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After almost 80 years of essentially not having a military, on Friday, Japan announced a $320 billion plan to build up its deterrence in the face of rising tensions with China.
Japan's military buildup would take 5 years to complete under the current plan. Its planned military expenditures would make it the third largest country behind the United States and China in terms of its budget. The plan calls for expanding the country's transport capacity, developing cyber warfare capabilities, and stockpiling munitions and spare parts.
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries will spearhead the development of Japan's longer-range missiles and will also build the country's next fighter jet in conjunction with BAE Systems and Leonardo SPA. The fighter jet project has already received an allocation of $5.6 billion.
Also included in Japan's buildup are ship-launched U.S. Tomahawk cruise missiles, attack and reconnaissance drones, interceptor missiles, helicopters, F-35 stealth fighters, satellite communications equipment, warships, heavy-lift transport jets, and submarines.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that Japan is at a "turning point in history" and the military buildup is "my answer to the various security challenges that we face."
Japan has expressed growing concern in recent months that Russia's invasion of Ukraine will set a precedent that will support China's attacking Taiwan. Japan recently flagged China as a "strategic challenge" in its most recent national defense document and updated its national defense policy with major revisions for the first time since 2013.
When the Chips and Science Act (frequently referred to as the CHIPS Act) was signed into law in August, President Biden and Congressional lawmakers celebrated.
The legislation included subsidies to bolster America’s domestic semiconductor industry and tackle supply chain vulnerabilities, addressing key national security concerns with China. The Biden administration boasted that the CHIPS Act would lower costs, create jobs, strengthen supply chains, and counter China.
But China has not taken the news lying down. The PRC has mobilized a strategic communications campaign to undermine support for the Act...
To read more visit Defense One.
One of America's most senior military commanders who oversees the US nuclear weapons program has urged the United States to dramatically upgrade its defense capabilities, warning that the China was developing nuclear weapons faster than the U.S. and adding: 'The big one is coming'.
Navy Adm. Charles A. Richard, the commander of U.S. Strategic Command, issued an unusually blunt warning on Wednesday, saying that China's nuclear threat was a 'near-term problem'.
'As I assess our level of deterrence against China, the ship is slowly sinking,' Richard said.
'It is sinking slowly, but it is sinking, as fundamentally they are putting capability in the field faster than we are...'
To read more visit The Daily Mail.
Latest Heritage Foundation report on US Military Strength gives only passing grade to US Marine Corps, marginal scores to the US Army and failing grades to Navy/Air Force in "capability, capacity, and readiness" to defend the homeland, successfully wage a major war and preserve freedom of movement on the sea, air, outer space and cyberspace domains.
Our current National Defense Strategy (NDS) acknowledges long term competition with major powers, (explicitly Russia and China) and recognizes the United States national security relies upon three interwoven components: 1) Sufficient military capacity to deter or win against large conventional powers in geographically distant regions, 2) Ability to conduct sustained operations against lesser threats, and 3) Maintain a U.S. presence in regions sufficient to deter behavior that threatens U.S. interests.
“As currently postured, the U.S. military is at growing risk of not being able to meet the demands of defending America’s vital national interests. It is rated as weak relative to the force needed to defend national interests on a global stage against actual challenges in the world as it is rather than as we wish it were. This is the logical consequence of years of sustained use, underfunding, poorly defined priorities, wildly shifting security policies, exceedingly poor discipline in program execution, and a profound lack of seriousness across the national security establishment even as threats to U.S. interests have surged.”
"The 2023 Index concludes that the current U.S. military force is at significant risk of not being able to meet the demands of a single major regional conflict..."
Read the full executive summary of Heritage Foundation: 2023 Index of U.S. Military Strength
China and the US are battling over the Pacific. As US attention strayed from the region, China crept in, wooing Pacific island leaders with promises of investment and trade. In this episode of China Uncensored, we look at China's strategy for taking the Pacific, why the Pacific is so coveted, and what it means for the international balance of power, writes China Uncensored.
On 17 September, 2022, Dr Wu Zunyou, China’s chief epidemiologist at the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first monkeypox case in China. At the same briefing on Weibo he warned against contact with foreigners. "It is necessary and important to strengthen the monitoring and prevention of monkeypox," Wu wrote in his post, emphasizing the risk of disease spreading through international travel and close contact. He gave five recommendations for the public -- the first being, "Do not have skin-to-skin contact with foreigners."1
China’s population is 91% Han Chinese. The other 8-9% are of Asian descent. Approximately 200,000 foreigners reside in China. China is one of the most homogenous countries in the world and has been accused of genocide against Uyghurs, who are of a different ethnicity and religion. Dr Wu’s statement appears racist in its call for ostracizing all people in China who don’t look like the 91% Han Chinese. Further, monkeypox is an STD and the first monkeypox clusters were in ‘Westerners’ who practiced deviant sexual behaviors. Thus, Dr Wu could be describing all Westerners as sexually deviant.
From a common sense standpoint, such a recommendation could be considered pragmatic in that the index case was a non-Han Chinese westerner. Further, every country in every era of time has had racism embedded in its culture. Thus, whether Wu’s statement was meant to be racist or not, it is not too far fetched to see how a public advocate could make such a recommendation about a specific group of people. However, China has a habit of subjugating humans who don’t look like them within and without their borders.
The problem is that US politicians and medical entities have given Dr Wu’s comment a complete pass. When former President Trump restricted travel with China in early 2020, he was called a xenophobe. The same commentators later interestingly criticized him for not taking that exact action earlier, but didn’t take back the racist moniker. The next year, when ‘their’ President restricted travel to 8 southern African nations when omicron emerged (despite the correct observations and pleas from South African health leaders not to), Biden received no such criticism. Within the medical community, doctors have criticized Trump’s ‘xenophobia.’ The American College of Emergency Physicians even went as far as issuing a statement in mid 2020 stating “The American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) denounces racism and all senseless acts of violence. Racism is a social determinant of health.” ACEP was quiet over Biden’s restrictions placed against Black African nations and has similarly been quiet concerning Dr Wu’s post.
Three conclusions emerge from the latest statement involving policy recommendations along racial lines. 1. China is a ‘world’ phobic society that discriminates against non-Han Chinese. 2. Woke Westerners only decry racism when it involves a political enemy (ie Trump and Republicans). 3. Woke Westerners continue to give China a pass on their racist and genocidal policies, possibly out of admiration of Marxism that drives CRT and other blessings they hope to force on the Western World. Ie – the Woke don’t want to insult their friends.
The rest of us should take note. Woke politicians and doctors are proudly standing up to be counted with the enemies of freedom and human decency.
John Hughes, MD
Emergency Physician
USMA Class of 1996
3rd Generation West Pointer
4 combat tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan
1https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/18/china/china-monkeypox-wu-zunyou-foreigners-intl-hnk/index.html
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