OLD1953 wrote:
> Mission Statement of the United States Navy
> The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip
> combat-ready Naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring
> aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.
> China's actions will throw it into direct conflict with the USN
> mission.
Things are moving very quickly now in the South China Sea. The
Chinese know that what you're saying is true, and that any military
action by them could easily spiral into a bigger war fairly quickly.
We know that China is aggressively preparing for war with the U.S. on
multiple fronts, so it's possible that the 2013 date to board and
seize SCS ships is part of a broader plan for an immediate preemptive
attack on the U.S. We know that such an attack is coming, though we
don't know the planned date. Perhaps the very open and visible
belligerence in the SCS is the way of setting a date. Another
advantage to the Chinese for an SCS military confrontation is that it
would provide them with a pretext for the larger attack -- no country
would launch a major war without providing a pretext and explanation
to the country's own people. Since most Chinese apparently believe
that the entire SCS belongs to China, an SCS conflict would be the
perfect pretext.