So China and Japan are arguing over a disputed island chain in the East China Sea – and this week China stepped up its claim by adding the islands to its air defense zone.
The United States did not take kindly to this “aggression,” and dispatched a pair of B-52 bombers based out of Guam to fly over the islands in an effort to challenge Chinese authority.
“The flight was without incident,” military officials told The Wall Street Journal, adding the bombers were unarmed and unaccompanied by fighter jets.
Officials added that they would “continue conducting flight operations in the region, including with our allies and partners.”
So let’s get this straight …
America’s military is subsidized in large part by deficit spending, which is subsidized by China. And China and Japan are arguing over some rocks in the middle of the ocean. And in response to China saying “these are our rocks” we decide to fly a pair of unarmed, unaccompanied bombers over the rocks for no reason other than to thumb our nose at China.
Yup … that about sums it up.
For now …
China is in the process of sending its aircraft carrier – the Liaoning – to the region, along with a pair of guided missile destroyers (the Shenyang and the Shijiazhuang) and two advanced missile frigates (the Yantai and the Weifang). Submarines and other vessels are expected to join the formation.
Why does that matter? Because both the USS Nimitz and the USS George Washington (and their carrier strike groups) have been operating in the South China Sea within the last week.
This is how wars start, people …
29 comments
Your observation is correct. Wars start over tiny issues. WWI began when an assassin killed Archduke Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The US got involved after the Lusitania was sunk by Germans and because of the Zimmerman Telegram. All that needs to happen is for one of these B52s to misfire. Love and peace are a mirage in this world, sadly. No amount of religion will ever stop aggressors from being belligerent.
Dead wrong. Wars are waged over big economic issues. As far as religion, it’s an impetus to war if anything – think muslims, jews, catholics, protestants in any combination you choose.
True, religion provides the impetus. I heard it said that as a species, we ain’t too bright. We kill each other over what happens after we die, then fail to see the irony in that.
No, we kill each other over the overblown need to be right, and fail to see the stupidity in it.
Good grief, those things are all over 50 years old. Shouldn’t they be retired by now? I’d hate to be in the service and flying a plane my grandfather flew!
The B 52 is now up to version H. It has been upgraded many times and will be in service until 2045.
I’d bet on 2052, giving it a service life of 100 years. BUFF’s first flight was in April of 1952 it’s already the second longest serving weapons system ever introduced into the US Military – the first right now is the M1903 Springfield rifle that lasted just over 70 years (and can still be found in military service rifle matches at Quantico).
The beauty of BUFF is that it can haul 70,000 pounds of air droppable weapons anywhere in the world without landing in relatively short notice – they can and have flown all the way around the world without stopping. Given the ability to refuel air to air, the aircraft can loiter almost indefinitely and with guided munitions attack targets from as far away as 600 miles. The single virtue it holds over a drone (aside from the payload) is the bombardier – the smart guy who launches the weapons.
I’ve seen “Arc Lights” – they’ll put the fear of the USAF if not the fear of God into anyone near by.
BUFF was the perfect bird to do this with – you can’t miss it, you can’t confuse it with any other aircraft and there’s an implied threat that’s unmistakable.
If you were around Ben Cat in ’65, you got a couple of miles on your footlocker Col.
No, not quite that old. In ’90/91 as we were getting ready to go into Kuwait to run Saddam’s sorry ass back into Iraq, I was tasked to build a couple of kilometers of the “defensive complex” that the Iraqis had built to use as a test for various breaching techniques.
One of the techniques they decided to try was a good old fashion “arc light drop” – 3 B52Hs, 105 tons of bombs dropped in a very small area from a fairly low level. While id did a marvelous job rearranging the landscape, the down side to the technique was that it caused so much damage that M-1s and Brads couldn’t negotiate the beaten zone without engineer support – the decision was made that if engineer support was required anyway, why not just let engineers conduct the breach.
Arc Light was the name of the plan that shifted BUFFs from high altitude nuclear bombers to low altitude close air support missions between ’65-’72 but they still practice the technique and we still call it an” Arc Light” – though I’m sure it has some other innocuous official name. I saw it from two ridge lines and about 3 kilometers away and it still made a lasting impression.
I, however, have those miles on my foot locker, and the BUFF may be the best weapons platform ever developed, bar none!
Don’t know that I could mount an effective argument against your assertion. BUFF is an all American Bad Ass. Very low accident rate from first introduction till now, flexibility of design to have been updated/upgraded many times (and still some options being evaluated), versatile, ability to adapt as the times have changed from high altitude 1-2 bomb nuclear delivery to low altitude conventional ground support platform to multi weapon/multi role stand off platform. I’d place the A-10 a close second but I’m biased to aircraft that support ground warfare – the Eagle and the F-16 both fit the ranking as well
M-1 Garand wins as the best infantry weapon – the standard AK is just not accurate enough. M109A6 Palidan easily the best artillery. The M-1 easily wins the tank category though the Merkava Mk IV comes in a close second, the naval category is a toss up between the SSBN and an Arleigh Burke Class destroyer equipped with vertical launchers filled with SM2, Tomahawks and ASROCs. Carriers are to vulnerable though they can pack a hell of a punch.
You aren’t really a sailor are you, or at least not just the Village People variety.
The only thing original on these planes is the data plate. What would you suggest they be replaced with, something that can only carry a fraction of the payload and costs 10x the price of the BUFF?
its about time to civilize the chinese
Gentlemen, there will be no fighting in the war room!
Hmm…..we highly wager that WIl Folks is a lot smarter than this article implies. “..America’s military is subsidized in large part by deficit spending, which is subsidized by China. And China and Japan are arguing over some rocks in the middle of the ocean. …”
We highly wager that Nancy Mace understands that those rocks in the South China Sea have OIL deposits somewhere underneath them to be DRILLED. What is sad is that Wil Folks fails to inform his readers or WIFE and child about the OIL corporations that are securing drilling rights in those disputed waters to invest their retirement PENSIONS in. How disgusting is it that WIl fails to inform his readers of these FACTS. Does Wil Folks really want this website to be informing. His readers can watch Jon Stewart and get better information.
(Boomerang 202, 404, 606, 901, move General Patraeus ahead 3 spaces and move Nikki Haley back 2 spaces, wager 3 SCE&G bitcoins and add 3 BOEING Lobby advertiser dominos, Facebook Summit Club and Ms. Roses’ and Mayor Riley, Pintarest Nancy Mace, )
those rocks in the South China Sea have OIL deposits somewhere underneath them to be DRILLED.
Dayyyyyyum. *whistles softly*
TBG understands and agrees with your post.
But then you go and do this……
(Boomerang 202, 404, 606, 901, move General Patraeus ahead 3 spaces and move Nikki Haley back 2 spaces, wager 3 SCE&G bitcoins and add 3 BOEING Lobby advertiser dominos, Facebook Summit Club and Ms. Roses’ and Mayor Riley, Pintarest Nancy Mace, )
Huh?
We need to mind our own business. Let Japan fight China over a rock.
While I don’t like military incursions, we cannot “let japan fight China over a rock.” We stripped them after WWII of there ability to do so, and promised in return to protect them.
Now, it was probably right to limit Japan’s military, because they are crazy bastards when they go Bushido. Which is another reason we don’t want Japan to fight over anything, they are crazy bastards.
Oh, yes, let’s just give the Chinese the “rocks”, let’s just give them the part of Vietnam that they want, let’s just give them Tibet. Oh screw it, let’s pull all our people out of Japan and give the Chinese the green light for those “rocks” too. If we leave the Chinese alone they’ll leave us alone. Them and the Russians, they’re just acting like that because the imperialist USA is forcing them to act this way. Now, where is that soft sand for me to stick my head in?
Hey, if we can go to war with China, can we default on our debt?
Hey, if we can go to war with China, can we default on our debt?
Absolutely.
Shit, it just dawned on me that Japan, China and Taiwain make everything.
Not everything. Come on now, South Korea and Vietnam make a bunch of stuff too. Don’t forget Bangladesh makes a lot of textiles so clothing shouldn’t be a problem.
The way 0bama and the Dems are going we will probably default without a war.
Only if we win. If we lose, we lose everything.
After the economic disaster of winning WWII, we can’t afford to win another big war. Another round of “Marshal Plan” winning would truly bankrupt us.
…let’s just give them the part of Vietnam that they want, let’s just give them Tibet. Oh screw it, let’s pull all our people out of Japan and give the Chinese the green light for those “rocks” too.
Vietnam and Japan our not “ours” to give. As far as Tibet, that horse left the barn a long time ago.
Huh, sorry, didn’t hear you, had my head stuck in the sand.
As far as horses that left the barn a loooooong time ago, China is still trying to take back Taiwan, shouldn’t they have dropped that whole issue (using your logic) by now?
Somewhere, Lindsay and John are getting hardons!!