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| The man who will likely lead the Navy under Trump means business in the South China Sea |
| 2016-11-11 |
| [Bus Insider] When President-elect Donald Trump spoke about expanding the Navy to 350 ships in his September national security speech, he's most likely taking his cues from Randy Forbes, the Republican Congressman from Virginia poised to take over as Secretary of the Navy in a Trump administration. "The 350-ship navy, cruiser modernization ‐ those naval planks [in Donald Trump’s policies] are lifted from Randy Forbes," a source familiar with the matter told USNI News. The president appoints a Secretary of the Navy to "conduct, all affairs of the Department of the Navy," which includes the Marine Corps. Trump, during his speech, said he wants to greatly increase the size of both the Navy and the Marines, and to generally "rebuild our military." Additionally, Trump mentioned buying newer destroyers to bulk up the Navy's fleet of 272 ships, most likely with Zumwalt class destroyers, but the Navy has struggled so far to field those. Forbes, a military adviser to Trump during his campaign, serves as a senior member of the House Armed Services Committee, and makes it plain on his website that he is "one of the nation’s most forceful advocates for a strong national defense." In September, Forbes asserted before Congress that "more than rhetoric is required to counterbalance China’s growing military power and assertiveness," referring to China's artificial island building and militarization in the South China Sea, as well as China ignoring an international court ruling that said its claims in the region were illegal. China has declared "no fly" and "no sail" zones in international waters in the Pacific that have gone unchallenged by the US in the last few years. Increasingly Beijing bullies ships from its neighbors, some of whom are US allies. |
| Posted by:Besoeker |
| #3 Perhaps he could secure our own coasts first and push out the 12 mile limit? |
| Posted by: Skidmark 2016-11-11 09:27 |
| #2 That invasion received but the most tepid response in Washington where the Nixon administration was bent on reopening relations with China. Yes, and in retrospect with a clear view of today's Home Depot and Walmart product reality, hasn't that proven to be an interesting point in time? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2016-11-11 07:51 |
| #1 The Chinese intrusion of the South China Sea began with its invasion and occupation of Viet Nam's Paracel Islands in the nineteen seventies. That invasion received but the most tepid response in Washington where the Nixon administration was bent on reopening relations with China. Little territorial grabs (e.g., Hitler's occupation of the Rhineland) often portend dangerous consequences. |
| Posted by: 2016-11-11 07:11 |