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U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded

Jango

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The United States Air Force will dramatically expand its military presence across the Pacific this year, sending jets to Thailand, India, Singapore, and Australia, according to the service's top general in the region.

For a major chunk of America's military community, the so-called "pivot to Asia" might seem like nothing more than an empty catchphrase, especially with the Middle East once again in flames. But for the Air Force at least, the shift is very real. And the idea behind its pivot is simple: ring China with U.S. and allied forces, just like the West did to the Soviet Union, back in the Cold War.

U.S. military officials constantly say they aren't trying to contain China; they're working with the Chinese and other Pacific nations to "maintain stability" in the region. Still, a ring of bases looks an awful lot like something we've seen before.
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This is just the start of the Air Force's plan to expand its presence in Asia, according to Carlisle. In addition to the Australian deployments, the Air Force will be sending jets to Changi East air base in Singapore, Korat air base in Thailand, a site in India, and possibly bases at Kubi Point and Puerto Princesa in the Philippines and airfields in Indonesia and Malaysia.
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The Air Force is taking a page from its Cold War playbook designed to keep the Soviets from invading Europe and will constantly deploy units based in the United States and the northern Pacific to a string of airfields in Southeast Asia.

"Back in the late great days of the Cold War, we had a thing called Checkered Flag: We rotated almost every CONUS [Continental United States] unit to Europe," said Carlisle, "Every two years, every unit would go and work out of a collateral operating base in Europe. We're turning to that in the Pacific."
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U.S. officials keep saying that these deployments to the Pacific will be just for a short while. But these rotating troops will still need support staff waiting for them at all of these sites -- which means America's expansion in the Pacific be anything but temporary.

U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded | Killer Apps

China is a serious threat and should be treated as such. Though I understand why military men and politicians won't show all their cards, it'd be nice for those Americans who remain skeptical because an official of some sorts hasn't specifically said, "We're gearing up for War with China."
 
U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded | Killer Apps

China is a serious threat and should be treated as such. Though I understand why military men and politicians won't show all their cards, it'd be nice for those Americans who remain skeptical because an official of some sorts hasn't specifically said, "We're gearing up for War with China."

It's more like Cold War II. We show them that we're srs bsns, they show us that they mean srs bsns, jets are flown, ships are deployed, dicks are measured, and no shots are fired except maybe in another series of retarded proxy wars.
 
It's more like Cold War II. We show them that we're srs bsns, they show us that they mean srs bsns, jets are flown, ships are deployed, dicks are measured, and no shots are fired except maybe in another series of retarded proxy wars.

Cold War II = mostly agreed. Besides the likely aforementioned proxy Wars, I do believe there will be hot elements of this conflict. It all depends on China's cyberespionage and how much vital infrastructure they damage. They've already shown the ability to gain access to our systems. Besides, I do not see the Chinese laying down for us. We might be saying "no containment" but they ain't buying it.
 
We may have proxy wars with China but we won't have a war with China. We restrict our wars to countries that can't fight back. Neither the US or China is capable of defeating the other.

Any country bigger than Grenada is too much.
 
Cold War II = mostly agreed. Besides the likely aforementioned proxy Wars, I do believe there will be hot elements of this conflict. It all depends on China's cyberespionage and how much vital infrastructure they damage. They've already shown the ability to gain access to our systems. Besides, I do not see the Chinese laying down for us. We might be saying "no containment" but they ain't buying it.

Anything China can do, we can do as well. We might not have the numbers, but we make up for that with superior firepower. They know that, we know that, and that's why we're never going to be in anything larger than a huge, and very tense stalemate.
 
It don't add up. China has a history of keeping their political noses out of other nation's businesses.

And since China owns about half of us, it would make no sense to me for them to cut their foot off to piss off their leg.

But, if Nostradamus is correct, I do believe we have to go up against China sooner or later. Or was that Confucius?
 
It don't add up. China has a history of keeping their political noses out of other nation's businesses.

And since China owns about half of us, it would make no sense to me for them to cut their foot off to piss off their leg.

But, if Nostradamus is correct, I do believe we have to go up against China sooner or later. Or was that Confucius?

They don't own half of us, no need to go off the deep end.
 
They don't own half of us, no need to go off the deep end.

I was just throwing some number out there. But it would be interesting to actually know, hey?

I think their money and our money is so intertwined, the foot and leg parable still stands. (Pardon the pun. )
 
U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded | Killer Apps

China is a serious threat and should be treated as such. Though I understand why military men and politicians won't show all their cards, it'd be nice for those Americans who remain skeptical because an official of some sorts hasn't specifically said, "We're gearing up for War with China."

Oh what a SWELL idea. Now challenge China to an arms race - really prick them around a lot. Assure them that we are putting air bases all around them and can attack them anywhere at a moment's notice. Be as threatening and intimidating as possible.

This plan is nuts and I think if Obama allows it to continue he should be impeached as the true war-monger. It is one thing him starting all his own personal mini-wars around the world with defenseless countries. It is another thing for him to do so with China. We would lose an arms race with China in the long run.
 
Anything China can do, we can do as well. We might not have the numbers, but we make up for that with superior firepower. They know that, we know that, and that's why we're never going to be in anything larger than a huge, and very tense stalemate.

Maybe, maybe not. China has been hacking the bejesus out of us, which I'll assume that you know if they're talking about it in the press, there are occurrences that go unreported. I dunno, though, if China does something besides stealing secrets, like messing with our grid or something vitally similar, I could see us launching an attack on them - one besides a cyberattack, that is. But, maybe we'd just hack them back, and it would be a vicious circle. However, IIRC, the Pentagon has previously said that *major* cyberattacks are Acts of War and would be responded to.
 
Maybe, maybe not. China has been hacking the bejesus out of us, which I'll assume that you know if they're talking about it in the press, there are occurrences that go unreported. I dunno, though, if China does something besides stealing secrets, like messing with our grid or something vitally similar, I could see us launching an attack on them - one besides a cyberattack, that is. But, maybe we'd just hack them back, and it would be a vicious circle. However, IIRC, the Pentagon has previously said that *major* cyberattacks are Acts of War and would be responded to.
I highly doubt that we aren't doing the same to them, and then some. Besides, responding to hacking doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to party like it's 1969.
 
Well, there may be a MIC in China also. A good old fashioned arms race would stimulate the economies of both countries.
 
I highly doubt that we aren't doing the same to them, and then some. Besides, responding to hacking doesn't necessarily mean that we're going to party like it's 1969.

Of course we're hacking them. Why wouldn't we?
 
Well, there may be a MIC in China also. A good old fashioned arms race would stimulate the economies of both countries.

What's sad is that we need SOMETHING to stimulate our economy.
 
Building weapons is one story and using them is another.

There are enough nuclear weapons on earth to shatter the planet into fragments. Yet, we build more, faster, stronger, stealthier ones. So maybe this is what they mean by "business as usual".


What's sad is that we need SOMETHING to stimulate our economy.
 
Building weapons is one story and using them is another.

There are enough nuclear weapons on earth to shatter the planet into fragments. Yet, we build more, faster, stronger, stealthier ones. So maybe this is what they mean by "business as usual".

Perhaps.
 
Of course we're hacking them. Why wouldn't we?

That's probably the exact same attitude the Chinese have on hacking us. The whole situation on both sides is stupid, and if it continually escalates, a lot of people are going to die over nothing.
 
That's probably the exact same attitude the Chinese have on hacking us. The whole situation on both sides is stupid, and if it continually escalates, a lot of people are going to die over nothing.

Of course it's stupid, but intel is intel. Sun Tsu set the rhetorical standard. And of course the cyberintrusions are going to escalate. They have thus far. I suspect with our continued physical movements, China will lash out even more. They're not going to be surrounded and do nothing about it.
 
Anything China can do, we can do as well. We might not have the numbers, but we make up for that with superior firepower. They know that, we know that, and that's why we're never going to be in anything larger than a huge, and very tense stalemate.

We have both the numbers, the experience, and the technology at least for the forseeable future. The size and technical sophistication of our air and naval arms are far greater than our Chinese counter-parts and further augmented by our strong string of allies that encircle China from it's northern periphery down to the South China Sea.
 
U.S. Deploying Jets Around Asia to Keep China Surrounded | Killer Apps

China is a serious threat and should be treated as such. Though I understand why military men and politicians won't show all their cards, it'd be nice for those Americans who remain skeptical because an official of some sorts hasn't specifically said, "We're gearing up for War with China."

if Alaska was closer to China we wouldn't need to do that ... Sarah would be able to see them and warn us ...
 
That's probably the exact same attitude the Chinese have on hacking us. The whole situation on both sides is stupid, and if it continually escalates, a lot of people are going to die over nothing.

China is an autocratic, nationalist power seeking hegemony in the Pacific and a mechanism for expanding it's global reach. We are the greatest democratic power and have a clear interest in preventing an autocratic rival from re-emerging to contest control of parts of the globe. Our rivalry is natural and largely unavoidable given the political dynamic in China. That does not mean conflict is inevitable, but there is no reason to believe espionage can or should be halted. Moreover China in particular has zero to gain from ceasing it's activities.
 
I was just throwing some number out there. But it would be interesting to actually know, hey?

I think their money and our money is so intertwined, the foot and leg parable still stands. (Pardon the pun. )

Frankly I think if they try to screw us financially they screw themselves.
 
if Alaska was closer to China we wouldn't need to do that ... Sarah would be able to see them and warn us ...

Good thing we don't have a liberal living up in Alaska, they'd just look the other way. :lamo
 
We have both the numbers, the experience, and the technology at least for the forseeable future. The size and technical sophistication of our air and naval arms are far greater than our Chinese counter-parts and further augmented by our strong string of allies that encircle China from it's northern periphery down to the South China Sea.

The Chinese military has nearly double the military personnel we have, and those available for conscription outnumber our entire population. They may not have the experience, or the technology. There's also no reason to believe that they haven't found ways to exploit our weaknesses.

China is an autocratic, nationalist power seeking hegemony in the Pacific and a mechanism for expanding it's global reach.
The United States hasn't been doing the same?
 
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