The US Will Re-Open Massive Philippine Bases ....

Originally Posted by Richard

The Phillippines - the nearly forgotten campaign in the GWOT.

Its proximity to China, Vietnam, and Malaysia via the South China Sea, and access to the Moluccan Straits and IO makes it an important strategic location.

...



Richard

My guess, sir, is that those results/events are not as highly publicized compared to other AOs, however, I am sure the hunting is still good.

[greenberetTFS]

Originally Posted by ZonieDiver

Maybe the Philippine's recent disputes with China's burgeoning imperial designs has made some politicos in the PI rethink their priorities.


http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Southea.../NC02Ae01.html

Zonie

Acquisition is part of the government's military modernization plan that aims to purchase both refurbished and new aircraft, ships...........

I didn't know we bought()refurbished planes,ship,etc,from who?........

Big Teddy

[Richard]

Originally Posted by greenberetTFS

I didn't know we bought () refurbished planes, ship, etc, from who?........

Teddy,

They''re talking about the RPI's armed forces, not the DOD.

Richard

[Situ Shanren]

Originally Posted by Peregrino

What's it going to cost us?
How will China react?
Will we still have sufficient conventional capability to counter-react if China takes it poorly?

Although US-Chinese relations are based primarily around multi-lateral economic security, I wouldn't put it past the PRC to make a power play if they feel threatened.

Maybe something like what Russia did with Georgia when they saw we were bogged down elsewhere? They could feel NATO encircling them so they made a play to show those countries in their sphere of influence that the US couldn't defend all of them.

There's a fairly prolific group of older officials who have been trying to push pro-Mao policies recently. And one of his favorites was "The People's War" strategy--throw millions of Chinese soldiers out there and bleed the enemy dry. Sort of the mindset of, "no matter how many of us you kill, we've got more where they came from." It's the strategy they used during the Korean War, their "liberation" of Tibet in the early '50s, and it's the strategy they were posturing to use with Vietnam.

Things are certain to get more tense with our shifting of Naval forces to PACOM, opening bases in the Phillipines will enliven things even more.