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Post by ptsdthor on Aug 6, 2010 7:58:34 GMT -8
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Post by AztecWilliam on Aug 6, 2010 8:19:08 GMT -8
I spotted this item, too, and almost posted it myself. It's definitely something to worry about. But, then, take a look at the map of the world, and also at the labels of most of what you are buying these days and you will understand why China IS the 800 pound gorilla.
We are talking war of nerves, here. It's doubtful that an actual war would break out between China and the U.S. But if the Chinese can scare us away from the western Pacific, that's better than winning an actual shooting war.
AzWm
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Post by The Great Aztec Joe on Aug 6, 2010 8:54:15 GMT -8
Not to worry. When I left the Navy in 1982 to work for Pacific Bell, we were rapidly ramping up the art of Electronic Warfare. My guess is that we could redirect any chinese missile to any target we thought would be appropriate. They can launch their modern weapons all they want. Where they go is up to us.
Of course, you can always be caught with your pants down and your protective systems turned off like the Stark was. I was kicked out of the Boy Scouts when I was thirteen, but I always remembered their motto of "Be Prepared." The Stark captain in 1987 was not ready for the Iraqi attack. I would have been.
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 6, 2010 11:08:16 GMT -8
Somehow, I think this is much about nothing. From what I know about both our "hard" and "soft" kill capability, this is not a real threat. Common sense also tells me that it would be under some very strange circumstance that China would try this and risk an all out response. |
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Post by ptsdthor on Aug 6, 2010 11:33:32 GMT -8
Somehow, I think this is much about nothing. From what I know about both our "hard" and "soft" kill capability, this is not a real threat. Common sense also tells me that it would be under some very strange circumstance that China would try this and risk an all out response. I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? |
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Post by AlwaysAnAztec on Aug 6, 2010 12:24:26 GMT -8
Somehow, I think this is much about nothing. From what I know about both our "hard" and "soft" kill capability, this is not a real threat. Common sense also tells me that it would be under some very strange circumstance that China would try this and risk an all out response. I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? We are bound by treaty to defend Taiwan. |
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Post by ptsdthor on Aug 6, 2010 12:41:35 GMT -8
I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? We are bound by treaty to defend Taiwan. So we know why the missiles were developed. We borrow billions and billions from them to keep our entitlements solvent, we pay billions and billions to them in interest payments that fund their military's R & D and expansion, we are forced to compete with them for access to international energy sources as we choke our own domestic energy production and we put our Grandchildren's financial future in their hands. Now what could go wrong in our future dealings with these ruthless totalitarians? We got them right where we want them.  |
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 6, 2010 13:58:01 GMT -8
Somehow, I think this is much about nothing. From what I know about both our "hard" and "soft" kill capability, this is not a real threat. Common sense also tells me that it would be under some very strange circumstance that China would try this and risk an all out response. I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? If mainland China invades Taiwan it becomes a question of who is in the Whitehouse at the time and how seriously we take our commitments. Again, I do not think we are at much risk of losing any Carrier Task Force Assets, but that does not mean we would be able to defend Taiwan nearly as well as we can the Carriers. Lets hope we never need to find out for sure. |
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Post by AztecWilliam on Aug 6, 2010 15:14:12 GMT -8
If the Chinese really want Taiwan, they are capable of grabbing it. I'm not sure that they want Taiwan enough to risk the unpredictable (and likely costly) consequences that would follow an out-and-out military invasion.
Still, even if China does not use their new missiles (which, by the way, may or may not be good enough to threaten the loss of a U.S. attack carrier), their mere possession is troubling. In any event, does anyone think that the Chinese will stop trying to develop weapons that could give them an edge over the U.S.? Just because we have been on top for more than a half century does not mean that we will stay there indefinitely.
Oh, yes, keep this in mind. Given enough time in office, today's Democrats will likely gut the U.S. military. They will especially not want to put billions into research into futuristic weapons which, they will say, are not needed. Well, is any futuristic weapon needed when it is still in the drawing board stage? The Germans had the clear lead in jet fighter technology in the early '40s. Had they put in effect a crash course that would have enabled them to launch 500 or 1000 ME-262s by mid 1943, the course of WWII could have been changed radically.
AzWm
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Post by uwaztec on Aug 6, 2010 15:34:34 GMT -8
If the Chinese really want Taiwan, they are capable of grabbing it. I'm not sure that they want Taiwan enough to risk the unpredictable (and likely costly) consequences that would follow an out-and-out military invasion. Still, even if China does not use their new missiles (which, by the way, may or may not be good enough to threaten the loss of a U.S. attack carrier), their mere possession is troubling. In any event, does anyone think that the Chinese will stop trying to develop weapons that could give them an edge over the U.S.? Just because we have been on top for more than a half century does not mean that we will stay there indefinitely. Oh, yes, keep this in mind. Given enough time in office, today's Democrats will likely gut the U.S. military. They will especially not want to put billions into research into futuristic weapons which, they will say, are not needed. Well, is any futuristic weapon needed when it is still in the drawing board stage? The Germans had the clear lead in jet fighter technology in the early '40s. Had they put in effect a crash course that would have enabled them to launch 500 or 1000 ME-262s by mid 1943, the course of WWII could have been changed radically. AzWm The US and China are too tied together economically. A completely different situation than Germany. Tiny example, but notice 90% of the seafood sold at Walmart super stores is coming from China? A war between China and the US is beyond a horrific thought. What do you think that would do to the ecomony....among other things too horrible to think about. |
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Post by aztec70 on Aug 6, 2010 15:36:00 GMT -8
Somehow, I think this is much about nothing. From what I know about both our "hard" and "soft" kill capability, this is not a real threat. Common sense also tells me that it would be under some very strange circumstance that China would try this and risk an all out response. I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? If we are afraid to use it, because we may lose it, there is not point in having it. What would John Pual Jones say? What would Farragut say? |
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Post by aztecwin on Aug 6, 2010 16:36:08 GMT -8
I think the question is: if the PRC invades Taiwan, would we risk a Carrier task force or two to find out? If we are afraid to use it, because we may lose it, there is not point in having it. What would John Pual Jones say? What would Farragut say? Good questions! To answer you both, there is almost no risk! So small that it is not worth discussing. |
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