A good friend of mine, learning of the impending visit of Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, recalled Homer’s description of Helen of Troy, “The face that launched a thousand ships and burnt the towers of Ilium.” Well, Nancy ain’t no Helen of Troy, but she might nevertheless be in the business of launching warships and burning cities due to her bizarre interpretation of her foreign policy prerogatives as Speaker.
Producing New Enemies for No Reason Whatsoever
Tag: Lloyd Austin
US to hold joint war games with India near Chinese border
US to hold joint war games with India near Chinese border
US and Indian military forces will hold joint war games in the Himalayan mountains in October, less than 100 kilometers from India’s disputed border with China, a report says.
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Meanwhile, as both sides are flexing their military muscle, the US-based Politico news outlet reported on Friday that Chinese defense officials are ignoring phone calls from their US counterparts.
Previously:
China cuts ties with US on critical issues
Beijing has severed communication with Washington in several areas in retaliation for Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan
China cuts ties with US on critical issues
H/T: THE NEW DARK AGE
Related:
Beijing Cancels U.S.-China Military Bilateral Efforts
China’s cancelation of the three military-to-military cooperation could have national security consequences given it reduces the level of engagement between the United States and China. To that end, the China-U.S. Defense Policy Coordination Talks (DPCT) have been in place since early 2005, designed to provide senior level dialogue in support of the China-U.S. Military Maritime Consultative Agreement (MMCA). The MMCA, in place since 1998, is meant to reduce the likelihood of an inadvertent incident at sea.
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With the cancelation of the DPCT and MMCA, the likelihood of an incident similar to that which took place in April 2001, when a U.S. EP-3E Aries II aircraft collided with a Chinese aircraft. The EP-3 was able to make an emergency landing on China’s Hainan Island. The 24 crew members were taken into custody and eventually released some 10 days later. It would not be until July 2001 when the dismantled EP3 was flown out of China.
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The ability for Defense Secretary Austin to communicate directly with the PRC Minister of National Defense, General Wei Fenghe remains in place. Indeed, in June 2022, Austin and Wei held one-on-one discussions in Singapore where they discussed improving crisis management. Those discussions have clearly been overtaken by events of the day. In addition, “The Secretary reaffirmed the importance of peace and stability across the Strait, opposition to unilateral changes to the status quo, and called on the PRC to refrain from further destabilizing actions toward Taiwan,” according to the Department of Defense readout in the meeting.
Biden Administration Approves Massive Arms Deals for Saudi Arabia, UAE
Biden Administration Approves Massive Arms Deals for Saudi Arabia, UAE
The approval for the Patriot sale comes as a fragile four-month truce in Yemen has been extended for another two months. While there is still fighting on the ground and the Saudis are still enforcing the blockade, there has been no Saudi-led coalition airstrikes and no Houthi attacks inside Saudi Arabia since March.
US Risks Provoking North Korea’s Kim By Holding Drills Simulating His Assassination
The last time the US and South Korea held similar drills in 2017, Kim ordered a nuclear test
US Risks Provoking North Korea’s Kim By Holding Drills Simulating His Assassination
Related:
Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?
Who are the 11 senators who voted against the burn pits bill for veterans?
Senators Mitt Romney, Thom Tillis, Rand Paul, Tommy Tuberville, Richard Shelby, Pat Toomey, Mike Crapo, James Lankford, Mike Lee, Cynthia Lummis, and James Risch ultimately voted against the bill.
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Political commentators were less surprised to see Mr Paul oppose the bill, as the libertarian frequently opposes federal spending — unless it directly benefits him.
Mr Paul said the bill would put the economy “at risk” and attempted to include an amendment to the legislation that would cut spending on foreign aid in order to offset the cost. That amendment was ultimately voted down.
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Mr Paul had no problem asking for federal aid when his home state of Kentucky saw severe damage caused by tornadoes in 2021. He has regularly opposed federal aid bills for other disasters, and has previously attempted to attach amendments that reduce foreign aid spending to offset the costs of disaster relief.
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Mr Tillis, Mr Lee, and Mr Lankford said they opposed the bill over fears that it would allow more people to get treatment at the VA and increase wait times for veterans seeking healthcare. While wait times are never ideal, waiting weeks or even months for treatment is still a shorter wait than simply never being eligible for healthcare.
Cut all foreign aid!
Biden Authorizes Additional $550 Million Military Aid for Ukraine + Are There Enough Guided Rockets For HIMARS To Keep Up With Ukraine War Demand?
Biden Authorizes Additional $550 Million Military Aid for Ukraine
The new aid was authorized by the presidential drawdown authority, which allows Biden to send Ukraine weapons and ammunition directly from US military stockpiles. The funds were pulled from the $40 billion Ukraine aid bill that Biden signed back in May, which is meant to last through September 30.
Related:
Are There Enough Guided Rockets For HIMARS To Keep Up With Ukraine War Demand?
So in essence, at a pace suggested by Hertling, Ukraine’s GMLRS monthly burn rate would equal about 29% of the entire planned U.S. procurement for the next five years, not withstanding production rates of the ER GMLRS which have yet to be set.
Given those numbers, what does Ukraine’s use of HIMARS portend for that nation, and the U.S., which might find itself needing these systems in case of a future fight with China, Russia or some other adversary?
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“If each of 16 HIMARS fires three rockets per day, that’s 48 a day or 1,440 per month. 10,000 rockets would last well into 2023 at that rate. On the other hand, if the Ukrainians get the 100 HIMARS they are requesting and each one fires three rockets per day, that’s 300 per day or 9,000 per month.”
Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say and Could Get Us All Killed!
Nancy Pelosi Taiwan Visit Could Get Us All Killed
Related:
Pelosi expected to visit Taiwan, Taiwanese and US officials say
Officials also believe the Chinese leadership doesn’t completely grasp the political dynamics in the United States*, leading to a misunderstanding over the significance of Pelosi’s potential visit. The officials say China may be confusing Pelosi’s visit with an official administration visit, since she and Biden are both Democrats. Administration officials are concerned that China doesn’t separate Pelosi from Biden much, if at all.
Pelosi is in the presidential line of succession, thus the administration takes extra care of her security when she travels overseas, the White House said on Tuesday, according to CNN.
They’re well aware that Pelosi is the second in line of Presidential succession!
Provoking Beijing
Lavrov is on Blinken’s list of people to call
Lavrov is on Blinken’s list of people to call
Blinken also added a second topic he’d like to discuss with Lavrov —implementation of the recent “grain deal”. Washington played no role in negotiating the deal and is presumably hoping to make a lateral entry into the matrix now. Blinken claimed he is “seeing and hearing around the world a desperate need for food, a desperate need for prices to decrease. And if we can help through our direct diplomacy encourage the Russians to make good on the commitments they’ve made, that will help people around the world, and I’m determined to do it.”
Interestingly, in a veiled reference to the US, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuсoglu stated Wednesday on broadcaster Tv100 that there were countries who “wanted to block” the grain deal between Russia and Turkey, who want the Ukraine conflict “to prolong”, as they think the longer Moscow’s special military operation continues, “the weaker Russia will be.”
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Indeed, the war has spun out of US algorithm. As Hungarian PM Orban pointed out last week, anti-Russian sanctions “have not shaken Moscow,” but Europe has already lost four governments and is in an economic and political crisis.
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The spectre of the collapse of EU economies is rattling the Biden Administration. A CNN report yesterday was titled US officials say ‘biggest fear’ has come true as Russia cuts gas supplies to Europe. It said the Biden administration “is working furiously behind the scenes to keep European allies united” as the blowback from the sanctions against Russia hits them and the “impact on Europe could boomerang back onto the US, spiking natural gas and electricity prices.”
The report quoted an unnamed US official saying Russia’s retaliation for western sanctions has put the West in “unchartered territory.” Suffice to say, Blinken’s call underscores the desperate urgency in Washington to open a line of communication to Moscow at the political level.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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