August 08, 2024, Voice of America —
U.S.-led efforts to thwart attacks on international shipping by Iranian-backed Houthi militants in Yemen are nothing more than a “shock absorber” and are unlikely to lead to stability or safer seas, according to a senior U.S. commander.
Houthis undeterred despite US action to protect Red Sea shipping
I have an idea, end the slaughter in Gaza!
If war breaks out in Asia, the U.S. won’t send ground troops. Take note, Philippines!
MacArthur’s Last Stand Against a Winless War
Never get involved in a land war in Asia, MacArthur had told Kennedy, because if you do, you will be repeating the same mistake the Japanese made in World War II—deploying millions of soldiers in a futile attempt to win a conflict that cannot be won.
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Kennedy appreciated MacArthur’s soothing judgment on Cuba (and would soon change the military’s top leadership—perhaps in keeping with MacArthur’s views), but then shifted the subject to Laos and Vietnam, where communist insurgencies were gaining strength. The Congress, he added, was pressuring him to deploy U.S. troops in response. MacArthur disagreed vehemently: “Anyone wanting to commit ground troops to Asia should have his head examined,” he said. That same day, Kennedy memorialized what MacArthur told him: “MacArthur believes it would be a mistake to fight in Laos,” he wrote in a memorandum of the meeting, adding, “He thinks our line should be Japan, Formosa, and the Philippines.” MacArthur’s warning about fighting in Asia impressed Kennedy, who repeated it in the months ahead and especially whenever military leaders urged him to take action. “Well now,” the young president would say in his lilting New England twang, “you gentlemen, you go back and convince General MacArthur, then I’ll be convinced.” So it is that MacArthur’s warning (which has come down to us as “never get involved in a land war in Asia”), entered American lore as a kind of Nicene Creed of military wisdom—unquestioned, repeated, fundamental.
DARWIN, July 26 (Reuters) – The U.S. military is building infrastructure in northern Australia to help it project power into the South China Sea if a crisis with China erupts, a Reuters review of documents and interviews with U.S. and Australian defence officials show.
US military, seeking strategic advantages, builds up Australia’s northern bases amid China tensions
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US military eyes Australia’s Indian Ocean toehold to deter China
SYDNEY – A remote Australian island close to an Indian Ocean chokepoint for Chinese oil shipments is on a list of possible locations for US military construction aimed at deterring China, with the US saying it “may or may not” support American forces.
Australian-based Marines ready to support Manila in sea-territory skirmish
It’s not looking good for the IOF!
Israel will boost its military industry with the construction of an equipment factory
The news comes when 300 days have passed since the Israeli military operation against the Islamic terrorist group Hamas in the Gaza Strip, for which US military aid is being necessary.
The IDF has already warned that it is suffering a personnel crisis, but according to a recent article in The New York Times it is also facing a shortage of tank shells and parts to repair military vehicles.
This while the country is preparing for a possible regional war, after the escalation of tension on the border with Lebanon with the Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah and threats from Iran after an attack in Tehran that caused the death of Ismail Haniyeh, leader of the political office of Hamas, which the Islamic Republic attributes to Israel.
Washington even delayed sending certain types of bombs to Israel, citing the possibility that they would be used against civilians in the Gaza Strip, highlighting Israel’s strong dependence on American weapons.
Related:
Facing manpower shortage, government backs raising mandatory IDF service to 3 years
Biden Pledges New Military Deployments To Defend Israel In Netanyahu Call
President Biden in a Thursday phone call with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged that the United States would help defend Israel in the event of reprisal attacks from Iran in the wake of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in Tehran.
Biden Pledges New Military Deployments To Defend Israel In Netanyahu Call (archived)
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As the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability hearing drew on, the claims about China grew more and more unhinged, writes Megan Russell.
Notes:
US keeps stoking tensions despite Philippine’s failed latest provocation
PLA Naval deterrence
The Chinese PLA Navy has reportedly ramped up training exercises and patrols in and near the South China Sea amid the recent tensions in the region caused by the Philippines’ continuous provocations.
A naval task force featuring landing ships the Danxiashan, the Laotieshan and the Lushan recently carried out a four-day all-weather full-course combat exercise in the South China Sea, as the warships practiced air defense, alongside berthing and personnel rescuing, China Central Television (CCTV) reported on Saturday.
Observers said these landing ships are of the Type 072 and Type 073 series, which are smaller than the PLA Navy’s Type 071 amphibious landing ship and Type 075 amphibious assault ship.
While the larger amphibious vessels can carry more troops and equipment and release them at a certain distance away from the shore, the smaller landing ships can conduct grounding operations directly on islands and reefs, giving the latter special roles to play, a Chinese military expert who requested anonymity told the Global Times on Sunday.
For example, Type 072 series landing ships have participated in multiple major military operations, including the building of the maritime observation station on Yongshu Jiao (also known as Yongshu Reef) in the Nansha Qundao (also known as the Nansha Islands) in the South China Sea in 1988, thepaper.cn reported.
The drills came after Philippine media reported the presence of a Type 071 amphibious landing ship and a Type 075 amphibious assault ship near the Nansha Qundao this month, as the PLA Navy has reportedly its vast amphibious arsenal deployed in the region.
Amphibious vessels are not the only forces the PLA Navy has deployed in the South China Sea, as it has also sent some of its most powerful surface warships to the region for drills and patrols.
The armed forces of the Philippines on Friday confirmed the transit of four PLA Navy warships headed by the Type 055 large destroyer Dalian through the Balabac Strait on Wednesday, Philippine media outlet the Daily Tribune reported on Saturday.
The Philippine side said that the Balabac Strait, connecting the South China Sea and the Sulu Sea, “is commonly used by international vessels.”
Earlier this month, official Chinese media revealed that three other Type 055s, widely believed to be the world’s most powerful destroyer, the Xianyang, the Zunyi and the Yan’an, had also recently conducted round-the-clock long-endurance combat exercises in the South China Sea.
This means that all four Type 055 large destroyers currently in service with the navy of the PLA Southern Theater Command facing the South China Sea were sailing in or near the South China Sea recently.
Fatigue is setting in as a U.S. aircraft carrier nears its ninth month waging the most intense running sea battle since World War II
A US aircraft carrier and its crew have fought Houthi attacks for months. How long can it last?
The US has relaunched its military cooperation alliance under a new name “the Squad”, but with the same goal: to counter and “contain” China
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Security cooperation between Guyana and the US appears to deepen
U.S. Marine Corps Major General Julie Nethercot’s, U.S. Southern Command Strategy, Policy, and Plans Director has visited Guyana. Her visit to Guyana from May 6th to May 8th possibly or probably signals a significant step forward in our nation’s defence and security partnership with the United States, some observers believe. This visit follows closely on the heels of Major General Evan Pettus’ – also of the U.S. Southern Command – engagement in February, probably highlighting a deepening commitment of the United States to bolstering Guyana’s security capabilities.
Related:
US Navy Aircraft Overflight Increases Regional Risk: Padrino
On Thursday morning, U.S. authorities announced that two U.S. Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet fighter jets will carry out a flyover over “Georgetown and its surroundings” with the approval of the Guyanese government chaired by Irfaan Ali.
Venezuela Advances in Exercising Sovereignty Over Essequibo Region
The head of the Strategic Operational Command of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (CEOFANB), General Domingo Hernández Lárez, reported that Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) troops continue to work to interconnect the newly created Guayana Esequiba state with the rest of the Venezuelan territory.
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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