4-star admiral wants to confront China --- of course, that's what warmongers like Harris want to do ... start wars. fuck him and his wants.
On Thursday, April 7, 2016 at 1:32:32 PM UTC-5, Travis wrote: > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Travis <[email protected] <javascript:>> > Date: Thu, Apr 7, 2016 at 1:17 PM > Subject: Fwd: [grendelreport] 4-star admiral wants to confront, Obama > wants to appease, China. > To: > > > > > > > > http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/04/06/4-star-admiral-wants-confront-china-white-house-says-not-so-fast/82472290/ > > > 4-star admiral wants to confront China. White House says not so fast > > David Larter <http://www.navytimes.com/staff/30651/david-larter/>, Navy > Times 9:17 p.m. EDT April 6, 2016 > > [image: Description: 160308-N-GZ228-283] > > The amphibious assault ship Boxer passed through the contested South China > Sea in late March. Military officials have been directed to avoid public > comment on the dispute amid high-level negotiations between the U.S. and > China.(Photo: MC3 Jesse Monford/Navy) > > The U.S. military’s top commander in the Pacific is arguing behind closed > doors for a more confrontational approach to counter and reverse China’s > strategic gains in the South China Sea, appeals that have met resistance > from the White House at nearly every turn. > > Adm. Harry Harris is proposing a muscular U.S. response to China's > island-building that may include launching aircraft and conducting military > operations within 12 miles of these man-made islands, as part of an effort > to stop what he has called the "Great Wall of Sand" before it extends > within 140 miles from the Philippines' capital, sources say. > > Harris and his U.S. Pacific Command have been waging a persistent campaign > in public and in private over the past several months to raise the profile > of China's land grab, accusing China outright in February of > militarizing the South China Sea. > > But the Obama administration, with just nine months left in office, is > looking to work with China on a host of other issues from nuclear > non-proliferation to an ambitious trade agenda, experts say, and would > prefer not to rock the South China Sea boat, even going so far as to > muzzle Harris and other military leaders in the run-up to a security summit. > > “They want to get out of office with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of > cooperation with China,” said Jerry Hendrix, a retired Navy captain and > defense strategy analyst with the Center for a New American Security. > > The White House has sought to tamp down on rhetoric from Harris and other > military leaders, who are warning that China is consolidating its gains to > solidify sovereignty claims to most of the South China Sea. > > > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/23/pacom-harry-harris-china-militarizing-south-china-sea/80796756/> > > * > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/23/pacom-harry-harris-china-militarizing-south-china-sea/80796756/>* > > *NAVY TIMES > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/23/pacom-harry-harris-china-militarizing-south-china-sea/80796756/>* > > *Pacific Command chief urges new capabilities as tensions mount with China > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/23/pacom-harry-harris-china-militarizing-south-china-sea/80796756/>* > > > > National Security Adviser Susan Rice imposed a gag order on military > leaders over the disputed South China Sea in the weeks running up to the > last week's high-level nuclear summit, according to two defense officials > who asked for anonymity to discuss policy deliberations. China's president, > Xi Jinping, attended the summit, held in Washington, and met privately with > President Obama. > > The order was part of the notes from a March 18 National Security Council > meeting and included a request from Rice to avoid public comments on > China's recent actions in the South China Sea, said a defense official > familiar with the meeting readout. > > In issuing the gag order, Rice intended to give Presidents Obama and Xi > Jinping "maximum political maneuvering space" during their one-on-one > meeting during the global Nuclear Summit held March 31 through April 1, the > official said. > > “Sometimes it’s OK to talk about the facts and point out what China is > doing, and other times it's not,” the official familiar with the memo said. > “Meanwhile, the Chinese have been absolutely consistent in their > messaging.” > > The NSC dictum has had a “chilling effect” within the Pentagon that > discouraged leaders from talking publicly about the South China Sea at all, > even beyond the presidential summit, according to a second defense official > familiar with operational planning. Push-back from the NSC has become > normal in cases where it thinks leaders have crossed the line into baiting > the Chinese into hard-line positions, sources said. > > Military leaders interpreted this as an order to stay silent on China's > assertive moves to control most of the South China Sea, said both defense > officials, prompting concern that the paltry U.S. response may embolden the > Chinese and worry U.S. allies in the region, like Japan and the > Philippines, who feel bullied. > > > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/01/south-china-sea-zhiqun-zhu-united-states-curtis-wilbur-triton-island-step-back/79651934/> > > * > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/01/south-china-sea-zhiqun-zhu-united-states-curtis-wilbur-triton-island-step-back/79651934/>* > > *NAVY TIMES > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/01/south-china-sea-zhiqun-zhu-united-states-curtis-wilbur-triton-island-step-back/79651934/>* > > *South China Sea standoff: 'Both sides need to step back' > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/02/01/south-china-sea-zhiqun-zhu-united-states-curtis-wilbur-triton-island-step-back/79651934/>* > > > > China, which has been constructing islands and airstrips atop reefs and > rocky outcroppings in the Spratly Islands, sees the South China Sea as > Chinese territory. President Xi told Obama during their meeting at the > nuclear summit that China would not accept any behavior in the disguise of > freedom of navigation that violates its sovereignty, according to a > Reuters report > <http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southchinasea-usa-idUSKCN0WZ018>. The > two world leaders did agree to work together on nuclear and cyber security > issues. > > Experts say administrations often direct military leaders to tone down > their rhetoric ahead of major talks, but the current directive comes at a > difficult juncture. U.S. leaders are struggling to find an effective > approach to stopping the island-building without triggering a confrontation. > > The NSC frequently takes top-down control to send a coherent message, said > Bryan Clark a former senior aide to Adm. Jon Greenert, the recently retired > chief of naval operations. While serving as Greenert’s aide, Clark said > the NSC regularly vetted the former CNO’s statements on China and the South > China Sea. > > Critics say the administration's wait-and-see approach to the South China > Sea has failed, with the island-dredging continuing in full force. > > “The White House’s aversion to risk has resulted in an indecisive policy > that has failed to deter China’s pursuit of maritime hegemony while > confusing and alarming our regional allies and partners,” said Sen. John > McCain, R-Ariz., chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a > statement to Navy Times. “China’s increasingly coercive challenge to the > rules-based international order must be met with a determined response that > demonstrates America’s resolve and reassures the region of our commitment.” > > When presented with the findings of this article, Harris declined to > comment through a spokesperson. A spokesman for the chief of naval > operations had no comment when asked about Harris' proposals and whether > the CNO was supporting them. > > An administration official said the Navy’s operations in the South China > Sea are routine and that the administration often seeks to coordinate its > message. > > "While we're not going to characterize the results of deliberative > meetings, it's no secret that we coordinate messaging across the > inter-agency-on issues related to China as well as every other priority > under the sun,” the official said. > > The gag order has had at least one intended effect. The amphibious assault > ship Boxer and the dock landing ship Harpers Ferry, both carrying the 13th > Marine Expeditionary Unit, steamed through the South China Sea in late > March to little fanfare. > > *'The status quo has changed’* > > Meanwhile evidence is mounting that China aims to build another island > atop the Scarborough Shoal, an atoll just 140 miles off the coast of the > Philippines’ capital of Manila and well within the Philippines' 200-mile > economic exclusion zone, that would extend China's claims. Chinese missile > batteries and air-search radars there would put U.S. forces in the > Philippines at risk in a crisis. > > [image: Description: Adm. Harry Harris, the head of U.S. Pacific Command,] > > Adm. Harry Harris, the head of U.S. Pacific Command, is pushing an > aggressive plan to contest China's expanding island-building in the South > China Sea. (Photo: MC2 Kegan E. Kay/Navy) > > Harris and PACOM officials have been lobbying the National Security > Council, Capitol Hill and Pentagon leaders to send a clear message that > they won’t tolerate continued bullying of neighbors. Part of the approach > includes more aggressive, frequent and close patrols of China's artificial > islands, Navy Times has learned. > > "When it comes to the South China Sea, I think the largest military > concern for [U.S.] Pacific Command is what operational situation will be > left to the next commander or the commander after that," said a Senate > staffer familiar with the issues in the South China Sea. "The status quo is > clearly being changed. Militarization at Scarborough Shoal would give > [China's People's Liberation Army-Navy] the ability to hold Subic Bay, > Manila Bay, and the Luzon Strait at risk with coastal defense cruise > missiles or track aviation assets moving in or out of the northern > Philippines." > > The administration is negotiating rotational force presence in the > Philippines that would put the U.S. in a position to counter China's moves > in the region but the focus on the big picture isn't changing the China's > gains in the here and now, the staffer said. > > "Force posture agreements and presence operations are important, but the > administration has yet to develop a deterrence package that actually > convinced Beijing that going further on some of these strategic-level > issues like Scarborough ... is not worth the costs." > > Stepped-up patrols and of the South China Sea like the one conducted by > the carrier John C. Stennis and her escorts in early March are part of the > PACOM response to China, but actual freedom of navigation patrols in close > proximity to China's islands must be authorized by the White House. > > The patrols to date have been confusing, critics argue, because they have > been conducted under the right of innocent passage. For example, the > destroyer Lassen's October transit within 12 nautical miles of Chinese > man-made islands in the disputed Spratly Islands chain, was conducted in > accordance with innocent passage rights. Some officials saw that as tacit > acknowledgment that China did in fact own the islands and were entitled to > a 12-mile territorial sea around them. > > > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/10/27/china-navy-shaddows-lassen-spratly-islands-patrol/74680390/> > > * > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/10/27/china-navy-shaddows-lassen-spratly-islands-patrol/74680390/>* > > *NAVY TIMES > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/10/27/china-navy-shaddows-lassen-spratly-islands-patrol/74680390/>* > > *Destroyer's patrol in South China Sea shadowed by China's navy > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2015/10/27/china-navy-shaddows-lassen-spratly-islands-patrol/74680390/>* > > > > During innocent passage, warships are not supposed to fly aircraft, light > off anti-air systems or shoot guns — just proceed expeditiously from point > “A” to point “B.” All those activities are fair game in international > waters. > > The lack of a more aggressive response has only encouraged continued > expansion, critics say, including the new Scarborough Shoal project, which > China seized from the Philippines in 2012. > > The Lassen was the first U.S. warship to pass within 12 miles of China's > man-made islands in three years and was followed by the destroyer Curtis > Wilbur’s patrol of the disputed Paracel Islands in January. But if the goal > of those patrols was to stop China from constructing man-made islands, it > has clearly failed, which was noted last month by the U.S. military’s top > officer. > > > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/01/31/china-strongly-condemns-us-sending-warship-near-island/79601856/> > > * > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/01/31/china-strongly-condemns-us-sending-warship-near-island/79601856/>* > > *NAVY TIMES > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/01/31/china-strongly-condemns-us-sending-warship-near-island/79601856/>* > > *China strongly condemns U.S. for sending warship near island > <http://www.navytimes.com/story/military/2016/01/31/china-strongly-condemns-us-sending-warship-near-island/79601856/>* > > > > “In the South China Sea, Chinese activity is destabilizing and could pose > a threat to commercial trade routes,” Marine Gen. Joe Dunford, the chairman > of the Joint Chiefs, said at a March 29 speech at the Center for Strategic > and International Studies. “And while our exercise of freedom of navigation > provides some assurance to our allies and partners, it hasn't stopped the > Chinese from developing military capabilities in the South China Sea, to > include on territories where there is a contested claim of sovereignty.” > > Administration officials say they've been tough on China’s claims, > supporting military patrols by U.S. Air Force bombers and Navy ships, as > well as sending high-tech military assets to the region, including two more > destroyers and the sophisticated X-band AN/TPY-2 missile defense radar > system. The U.S. is also negotiating rotational presence for U.S. troops on > bases in the Philippines, right on China’s doorstep. > > “The idea that we are somehow inconsistent or that we are giving China a > free pass just isn’t supported by the facts,” said a U.S. official who > spoke on background to discuss internal deliberations. > > *‘Irreversible’ gains* > > Harris wants to double down on the close island patrols but conduct them > on the assertion they are in international water, sources who spoke to Navy > Times said. > > Clark, now an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary > Assessments who has followed Harris’s strategy, said he thinks Harris is > lobbying for more assertive freedom of navigation patrols that include > military operations such as helicopter flights and signals intelligence > within 12 miles of Chinese-claimed features. Such patrols, Clark > said, would make clear the Navy does not acknowledge Chinese claims and > that the surrounding waters are international. > > “He wants to do real [freedom of navigation operations],” Clark said. “He > wants to drive through an area and do military operations.” > > Harris is not the only Navy expert raising alarms. Capt. Sean Liedman, a > naval flight officer serving as a fellow at the Council on Foreign > Relations, called for the U.S. to take a hard line > <http://blogs.cfr.org/asia/2016/03/28/prevent-the-destruction-of-scarborough-shoal/#more-18906> > . > > “Failing to prevent the destruction and Chinese occupation of Scarborough > Shoal would generate further irreversible environmental damage in the South > China Sea — and more importantly, further irreversible damage to the > principles of international law,” Liedman wrote in a late March blog post. > “It would further consolidate the Chinese annexation and occupation of the > maritime features in the South China Sea, which would be essentially > irreversible in any scenario short of a major regional conflict.” > > Liedman said the Navy should consider taking military actions like > disabling Chinese dredging boats to steps to impair the land-reclamation > effort. > > Failing to stop China’s expansion in the South China Sea into territory > also claimed by its neighbors is only heightening the chance of getting > into an armed confrontation, said Hendrix, the retired captain. > > “The Obama administration has tended to take the least confrontational > path but in doing so they created an environment where it’s going to take a > major shock to reestablish the international norms in the South China Sea,” > he said. “Ironically, they’ve made a situation where conflict is more > instead of less likely.” > > > > > __._,_.___ > ------------------------------ > Posted by: "Beowulf" <[email protected] <javascript:>> > ------------------------------ > > > Visit Your Group > <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/grendelreport/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmN2t1NGtjBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIwMTk0ODA2BGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTMyMzY2NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NjAwNDg3ODE-> > > > > [image: Yahoo! 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