readers would be aware that armed forces from Australia, the US and the Philippines are currently involved in lengthy training exercises including live firing of missiles in the South China Sea.
The exercise is called Balikatan and according to a US naval source elevates training so that it "matches real world conflict as much as possible," according to an article published Wednesday by the US Naval Institute, USNI.
i just want to draw the attention of readers to the hyper belligerent aggressive language used by US Navy types.
as rational thinkers on this thread have already suggested, can you imagine the apoplexy in Canberra, Washington and elsewhere were China's navy to conduct similar exercises off San Diego, or the English Channel or in Bass Strait.
but here Australia is locked into kowtowing to the US as it rampages around the world, visiting genocides and nation wrecking wherever it has confected some strategic justification.
Australia will even donate A$368 billion so it can take part in these crimes against humanity,
remember, China has never threatened Australia.
but look, if @moondoong, @universal trader and other conservative wingnuts want to stoke a hot war with Australia's number #1 trading partner, i suggest their family members serve on the frontline. Their sons and daughters, grandchildren, wives and sweethearts.
you want to make up a story about Chinese aggression, do your worst. Sorry about the horrible things that would happen to your family members in a war with China. But that's what you want. Live with it. And let them die with it.
i don't want anything to do with another US genocide against a people who never threatened me.
here's more the US Naval Institute in the article Wednesday about Balikatan training exercise and live firing missiles near China.
US NAVAL INSTITUTE:
"This exercise was about the collective capability of our combined fires networks and increasing interoperability to sense and shoot targets from a variety of Philippine, U.S. and Australian land, sea and air platforms,” said Marine Col. Douglas Krugman, the U.S. director of the drill’s combined coordination center, in a press release.
"Last year’s iteration also involved the sinking of a decommissioned ship in the South China Sea, though not with an anti-ship missile. This year, the exercise planners focused on linking sensors to missile systems and aircraft.
"A variety of platforms, both on the ground and in the air, passed data to the combined coordination center, which was located hundreds of kilometers south of the maritime strike activity in Manila.
"A Navy P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, a Royal Australian Air Force E-7A Wedgetail early warning and control aircraft and a Marine Corps TPS-80 Ground/Air Task Oriented Radar helped provide data to the command center to target of the decommissioned tanker.
"For the exercise’s “shooters,” the three countries deployed a myriad of platforms and munitions.
"U.S. Air Force F-16s from the Misawa-based 13th Fighter Squadron dropped multiple JDAM guided bombs and Philippine Navy fast-attack boats fired off Spike missiles against the 325-foot-long tanker. An AC-130J Ghostrider also took part in the drill.
......
"U.S. Marine Capt. Colin Kennard, a public affairs officer covering the exercise, highlighted to USNI News that this maritime strike activity came from an Indo-Pacific Command effort called the Pacific Multi-Domain Training and Experimentation Capability program.
"According to Kennard, the program’s “modernized and distributed training capability will enhance warfighting readiness toj compete against peer-level adversaries at speed, scope, scale, and operational distances – both in the near term and in the future.
""This simulation of what was described as “adversarial air and maritime threats” elevates training between U.S. and partner forces across the region that “matches real-world conflict as much as possible.”"
