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China-Japan-Koreas
What Is THAAD, What Does It Do, and Why Is China Mad About It?
2016-02-26
[TheDiplomat] There's a lot more to THAAD's feature set. The "high altitude" part of the acronym isn't there for show: THAAD is able to intercept incoming missiles at endo- and exo-atmospheric altitudes, with a maximum engagement altitude of roughly 93 miles above the earth's surface. The missile itself can travel at speeds over Mach 8, placing it in the "hypersonic" category. Indeed, THAAD manufacturer Lockheed Martin is interested in developing an extended range THAAD variant to counter hypersonic glide vehicles, including China's own WU-14.
Posted by:Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

#7  Missiles + Theater Anti-missiles means that the Chinese would need *many* more missiles for a "first strike kill" on the US/Japanese/SKorea bases. If they can bluff us from deploying it saves them a lot of money and talk is cheap.

I recommend the Ralph D. Sawyer's translations of Ancient Chinese Military thought to give an idea on their thought processes.
Posted by: magpie   2016-02-26 23:37  

#6  New this Guam AM ...

* USNI.ORG > PACOM CHIEF HARRIS: US WILL IGNORE ANY "DESTABILIZING" CHINESE SOUTH CHINA SEA AIR DEFENCE IDENTIFICATION ZONE [ADIZ].

USPACOM Chief USN ADM. Harry Harris.

* REUTERS > US [Obama WH] URGES CHINA TO EXTEND PLEDGE OF NON-MILITARIZATION TO ALL OF THE SOUTH CHINA SEA.

* WORLD NEWS > [Taipei Times] CHINA SECURING "DE FACTO" [Sea] CONTROL OVER SOUTH CHINA SEA: US NAVY ADMIRAL [USPACOM Chief Harris].

Not just informal, "effective" sea control, but "de facto" sea control???

* RELATED MANILA TIMES > CHINA TAKING DE FACTO SEA CONTROL, of the SCS.

* SAME > [SCS Missle, Radar] DEFENCES REASONABLE, NECESSARY [agz US "Militarization" of SCS + "Return to Asia"]- BEIJING.

WORLD NEWS > [SMH] CHINA SAYS IT "REALLY NEEDS" SOUTH CHINA SEA DEFENCES IN FEAR OF US.

Absolutely prositively categorically undeniably ...rly Reely Rly RLY REALLY R-E-A-L-L-Y NEEDS THE DEFENCES AGZ THE US.

* YAHOO NEWS > [CNS News] PACIFIC COMMANDER [ADM. Harris]: CHINA BUILDING OPERATIONAL, TACTICAL CONTROL OF MAJOR US TRADE ROUTE.

IIRC RELATED BIGNEWSNETWORK > PACOM CHIEF HARRIS: CHINA MISSLES DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTH CHINA SEA A THREAT TO GLOBAL COMMERCE.

* TOPIX > [Reddiff] ASIA WILL BE DIVIDED IFF INDIA JOINS [US-led] SOUTH CHINA SEA PATROLLING: CHINESE MEDIAS.

versus

* TOPIX > [Washington Times] CHINA GRUDGIBNGLY ACCEPTS [Seoul = ROK-approved] US MISSLE SHIELD DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTH KOREA.

Apparently, unlike the US State of HAWAII in EASTPAC Mainland China = CPC/CCP Beijing still recognizes ROK-SOKOR State sovereignty???

* CHINAMIL aka PLA DAILY ONLINE [PDOL] > [Xinhua] CHINA SAYS US THAAD DEPLOYMENT TO SOUTH KOREA UNDERMINES GLOBAL STABILITY.

'Tis a "game-changer" to the NE Asia + Inter-Korean "staus quo".

FYI USA = reopor may formally request return of "sole" or sovereign control of its former Clark + Subic MilBases iff China proceeds to deploy ANTI-NAVAL = LR ASBMS TO DISPUTED SCS ISLANDS.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2016-02-26 23:09  

#5  No such thing as a preemptive nuclear strike. That retaliation, it is a coming.
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2016-02-26 20:50  

#4  Perhaps more bluntly, as WORLD MILITARY FORUM + NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERITY PROFESSOR-EXPERT ON US-ASIAN AFFAIRS, the deployment of THAAD + advanced warplanes to SOKOR + JAPAN endangers China's new ADIZ in the East China Sea, as well as possible PLA MilPlans for the [forced = military] recovery of TAIWAN.

MAINLAND CHINA = BEIJING will be all but forced to resort to PREEMPTIVE MIL STRIKES, poten including TacNuke andor Limited Strategic Nuke Exchange = NucStrikes agz US-Allies.
Posted by: JosephMendiola   2016-02-26 20:46  

#3  Soviet's didn't like it back in the 80's either. Good thing it's not up to them.
Posted by: Iblis   2016-02-26 09:41  

#2  Maybe China's war plans call for simultaneous hits on both the ROK and USA. A THAAD deployment in the ROK would put a crimp in that plan.
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2016-02-26 09:29  

#1  China's support for the norks has consequences. You don't like those consequences? Then change the behavior.
Posted by: Sven the pelter   2016-02-26 09:26  

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