China, U.S. Each Hold Major War Exercises

[realFedUp]

and OBTW.....gads, can't believe no one has posted this.
I had to. Not even the NYT is printing this one.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-wargames20jul20,1,7503619.story?coll=la-headlines-world

China, U.S. Each Hold Major War Exercises
Some analysts say the timing of the maneuvers is linked to rising tensions over Taiwan.
By John M. Glionna
Times Staff Writer

July 20, 2004

BEIJING — China and the United States are conducting separate military exercises this week in displays of might amid tensions between the mainland and Taiwan over the island's sovereignty, military analysts say.

In a highly unusual move, the Chinese have publicized amphibious military operations being held on mainland-controlled islands in the Taiwan Strait. The war games, which simulate an invasion of Taiwan, involve 18,000 Chinese troops in weeklong land, sea and air maneuvers, according to the state-run media.

Beijing's deployment was launched late last week as military chief Jiang Zemin vowed to recover Taiwan by 2020, marking the first time China has set a deadline for reunification. Taiwan has been ruled independently since 1949, when Communist Chinese forces led by Mao Tse-tung defeated Nationalist forces directed by Chiang Kai-shek, who fled to Taiwan. The Chinese consider the island a renegade province.

The U.S. exercise, dubbed Summer Pulse 2004, involves seven aircraft-carrier strike groups, 50 warships, 600 aircraft and 150,000 troops around the globe. It has been described as one of the biggest military exercises ever staged.

A U.S. military official on Monday said Summer Pulse was aimed at increasing preparedness for any global crisis, not specifically the China-Taiwan issue. The official said only one aircraft carrier was scheduled to be located in the western Pacific Ocean.

"In terms of striking distance from China, the USS Kitty Hawk is the only ship currently operating in that area of responsibility," said Capt. Tom Van Leunen, a spokesman for U.S. Fleet Forces Command in Norfolk, Va. He said the Kitty Hawk was stationed in Japan. "And I can't say how close that ship will get to the coast of Taiwan."

The aircraft carriers George Washington, John C. Stennis, John F. Kennedy, Enterprise, Harry S. Truman and Ronald Reagan will also participate in the exercise, according to a Pentagon news release.

continued

[ewagner]

1. China and US engage

in a dangerous game of "chicken".

If we come out of this without an incident, it will be a miracle.

[jay-3d]

2. all the meter strike end of the world

people thought that pulse 04 might be an action to avoid damage in port from a strike.

[ixion]

3. uhm, so, like, the two military fronts we've got going now aren't enough?

Really, does this make sense?

Aren't we spending enough money w/o playing war games at the moment?

This sucks.

[hang a left]

10. Our navy wasn't doing anything....

so what the hell?

[htuttle]

4. Two giant beasts start posturing and prepare to butt antlers

Couldn't Bush and Hu just through feces at each other like the apes do instead?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

5. Anyone else notice that our three oldest carriers are participating...

...in this rather dangerous game of "chicken"? They are:

1. Kitty Hawk (CV63), commissioned in 1961, is apparently the closest to any potential flash point around Taiwan. She has a non-nuclear conventional power plant consisting of eight boilers, four geared steam turbines, and four shafts.

2. Enterprise (CVN65), commissioned in 1961, which is our oldest surviving nuclear carrier. She has eight old-style nuclear reactors and four shafts.

3. Kennedy (CV67), commissioned in 1968, which also has a non-nuclear conventional power plant consisting of eight boilers and four shafts.

If one were inclined to be cynical, one could wager a guess that the three oldest ships might be considered expendable by anyone wanting to create an incident that might kick off a war with China.

Here are the commissioning dates of the remaining ships listed in the article. They are ALL very new, with two nuclear reactors and four shafts each:

George Washington (CVN73): 1992
John C. Stennis (CVN74): 1995
Harry S. Truman (CVN75): 1998
Ronald Reagan (CVN76): 2003

Source:
<http://www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/ships/carriers/cv-list1.html>

[hedda_foil]

6. You're postulating a "remember the Maine" scenario?

It makes an exotic kind of sense that would appeal greatly to the neocons.

[Media_Lies_Daily]

7. Maybe even "another Pearl Harbor"....

...or 911.

[amandabeech]

8. Maybe it's time to stock up on consumer goods.

And sell stocks of companies sourcing from east and southeast Asia.

Just kidding.

[Moderator]

9. realFedUp

Per DU copyright rules
please post only four
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Thank you.

DU Moderator