US warns of ability to take down Chinese artificial islands

[beijingwalker]

Usa will not start by exposing its carriers. It will take out all the easily identifiable DF26 missiles and then its carriers come in range.
China will have better luck with fighter plane carried anti ship missiles.

When are you going to do it? or cheap talk is the only thing you have the capability to do?

 

[T-Rex]

No need to destroy the islands. Just stop all supplies to them by a sea embargo like was done with Cuba in the 60s?.
And no need to take the first shot , let the Chinese take the first shot if they have the guts.

The US navy hasn't been seen trying it. So I would assume they have already thought about it and the probable consequence of such a move made them come down to empty threats. I never underestimate the fear in the hearts of the US politicians.

 

[Kiss_of_the_Dragon]

No need to destroy the islands. Just stop all supplies to them by a sea embargo like was done with Cuba in the 60s?.
And no need to take the first shot , let the Chinese take the first shot if they have the guts.

How you go to reinforce the embargo without fire a single shot if Chinese Navy decide ship supplies to our island bases? doesn't make sense.

 

[qwerrty]

How you go to reinforce the embargo without fire a single shot if Chinese Navy decide ship supplies to our island bases? doesn't make sense.

and we're talking about thousands of ships daily not just to or from china, but also japan, taiwan, korea, euro, etc....
they simply don't have the resources to do blckade or tell which ships belong to which country? all the chinese have to do is wave other country's flag. lolz.. this is not one or two ships like during cuban missile crisis. they can't just block china and not disrupting other countries' businesses

 

[Unknown-V]

Sure, US could take down Chinese artificial islands. But firstly, US should make more bombs (which the material come from China).
https://www.defensenews.com/pentago...-bombs-and-it-may-soon-struggle-to-make-more/

 

[Globenim]

I also once read Great Britain historically had the capability to conquer entire continents.

 

[Basel]

Washington (CNN)The Pentagon on Thursday ratcheted up rhetoric about China's militarization of islands in the South China Sea, even as the Trump administration presses China for cooperation on North Korea.

When asked by a reporter about the ability of the US to "blow apart" one of China's controversial man-made islands, a top US general told reporters, "I would just tell you that the United States military has had a lot of experience in the Western Pacific taking down small islands."

The officer, Lt. Gen. Kenneth McKenzie, director of the Joint Staff, was asked if he was talking about US military operations during World War II where thousands of US troops died as they fought their way across several islands in the Pacific.

"It's just a fact we had a lot of experience in the Second World War taking down small islands that are isolated, so that's a core competency of the US military that we've done before; shouldn't read anything more into that than a simple statement of historical fact," he said.

McKenzie's words carry particular weight, because he is one of the most senior officers in the Pentagon. As director of the Joint Staff he serves as a top official for Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and frequently is in meetings with both Dunford and Defense Secretary James Mattis. He made clear the US military is "prepared" to "protect US and allied interests in the region."

Verbal tensions between the Pentagon and Beijing increased this week after the US sailed two warships through the South China Sea to demonstrate US naval presence in an area that the US claims as international waters, while the Chinese claim nearly all the area as their territorial waters. The US says a Chinese ship operated in an unprofessional manner close to the US Navy ships.

McKenzie indicated the US would not back off, saying that "we will continue to conduct freedom of navigation operations as is allowed by international law. And we're going to continue to do the things that we're doing."

The Chinese government Thursday called the US assertion that Beijing is militarizing the South China Sea "ridiculous."

But Mattis had said earlier this week that China had not lived up to its claim that it wasn't militarizing the area: "They have done exactly that, moving weaponry in that was never there before."

US surveillance has shown the movement of Chinese surface-to-air missiles and air defense systems into the area. Video has also shown a Chinese bomber landing on an island for the first time.

"We are also going to confront what we believe is out of step with international law, out of step with international tribunals that have spoken on the issue, and part of this is we maintain a very transparent military activity out in the Pacific," Mattis said.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/31/politics/us-warning-south-china-sea/index.html

It seems US is eager to bring war to main land USA for the first time and give the feel of war to its own people which they are giving to other countries since WW-2.

 

[LeGenD]

only work against banana republics. that qualitative edge space based assets are most vulnerable when fighting russia or china that can hack and blow 'em sh1t up.

How would you hack those networks? You are mistaking them for database of an arms manufacturer.

 

[Oldman1]

Doubt it... You were not able to stop them from building those Islands and now that they are finished and functional US think they can grab them

Don't doubt it. The U.S. already has the ability to blow up some artificial islands. And you know how the U.S. went island hopping towards Japan.

Yep, just like China has the ability to destroy every US base in the Western Pacific. I guess we're good then.

The U.S. has the ability destroy every base in Eastern China. Don't doubt it like another poster said.

 

[Dalit]

As usual cheap talk from the US. Sour grapes is all it is.

The US can't win its war in Afghanistan after 17 years. It is funny how it believes it can beat China.

 

[Oldman1]

Sure, US could take down Chinese artificial islands. But firstly, US should make more bombs (which the material come from China).
https://www.defensenews.com/pentago...-bombs-and-it-may-soon-struggle-to-make-more/

Wouldn't worry too much. Somebody else will step up to provide the bombs. I mean with all the bombings since the invasion of Afghanistan and Iraq and the current conflict against ISIS in Iraq and Syria, enough to destroy a few countries, its understandable that we are running out. A few islands is nothing.

 

[phancong]

US general refer to the experience WW2 pacific war against Japan for his conclusion on how to destroy China island in SCS, the US general didn’t mention in a 21st century high tech naval warfare which majority of China combatants ship can fire anti ship and air missile up 200 miles targets, US general didn’t mention China naval force didn’t spreading thin to defend all the island in pacific compare to Japan in WW2. US general fail to mention future naval war against China can happen when China naval force equally match or exceed US navy in SCS. The future scenarios for a naval war against China will be diminish each passing yr. Too many variable for US navy to sustain heavy losses to even ponder a future naval warfare against China.

 

[Cybernetics]

Usa will not start by exposing its carriers. It will take out all the easily identifiable DF26 missiles and then its carriers come in range.
China will have better luck with fighter plane carried anti ship missiles.

How do you expect them to "take out all the easily identifiable DF26 missiles"?

China has an extensive underground military complex with rail and road networks on the mainland. Plus the militization of Fujian is already quite intensive due to Taiwan, which includes air defences. These assets are not just sitting around in some obvious launch site. The strike coverage and intensity needed would be too extensive for it to be feasible.

The question would not be whether China can defend against strikes on the islands but how quickly China can repair the facilities, send troops/supplies, and mount a credible counter attack. Just depending on an impenetrable air defence is unreliable.

 

[Oldman1]

How do you expect them to "take out all the easily identifiable DF26 missiles"?

China has an extensive underground military complex with rail and road networks on the mainland. Plus the militization of Fujian is already quite intensive due to Taiwan, which includes air defences. These assets are not just sitting around in some obvious launch site. The strike coverage and intensity needed would be too extensive for it to be feasible.

The question would not be whether China can defend against strikes on the islands but how quickly China can repair the facilities, send troops/supplies, and mount a credible counter attack. Just depending on an impenetrable air defence is unreliable.

That is something to worry about. Not the air defense, but China's ability to repair very quickly. With technology, technique and manpower, thats easy to overcome when infrastructure is destroyed. You are able to build skyscrapers in few months.

 

[saltyashell]

and we're talking about thousands of ships daily not just to or from china, but also japan, taiwan, korea, euro, etc....
they simply don't have the resources to do blckade or tell which ships belong to which country? all the chinese have to do is wave other country's flag. lolz.. this is not one or two ships like during cuban missile crisis. they can't just block china and not disrupting other countries' businesses

You misunderstood. I meant block access to these artificial islands , not whole of china.