Obama *Occupies* Australia

[MeBelle]

I don't even know what to think of this!

BBC News - Obama visit: Australia agrees US Marine deployment plan

"Australia has agreed to host a full US Marine task force in the coming years, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced at a news conference with US President Barack Obama in Canberra.

She said about 250 US Marines would arrive next year, eventually being built up to 2,500 personnel.

The deployment is being seen as a move to counter China's growing influence."

Discuss, please.

 

[Lovebears65]

Mr Peace prize winner is taking our troops to set up so if China tries anything we are closer . That is what this is about.

 

[California Girl]

I think it's great. I hope one of my buddies gets sent over.... so I'll have an excuse to go visit.

 

[J.E.D]

I could see liberals having a problem with this; but conservatives?....hmmmm....me thinks that you would normally support this, but since it's happening under the Obama administration, you can't help but bitch about it. In other words, you're a partisan hack.

 

[Navy1960]

MeBelle, the U.S. and Aus. have had close Military tie's for sometime and it's not very surprising given the fact you have a Chinese Military in the region that has been flexing it's muscle quite a bit lately.

The Australian government has agreed to allow the US military to use the HMAS Stirling naval base in Cockburn Sound on the west coast of Australia to trial its new “sea-swap” program. The plan, which is aimed at boosting US naval firepower in the Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf, is part of the Bush administration’s preparations for war against Iraq
West Australian base to be used for US navy "sea-swap" trial

The USN has been using Australia's ports for year's and in WW2 we had a large presence there, so there is a bit of history. On a personal level I would much prefer to see our Marines and Sailors homeport in Australia rather than a nation that takes our support and at the same time passes it to rogue states like Pakistan.

 

[MeBelle]

I could see liberals having a problem with this; but conservatives?....hmmmm....me thinks that you would normally support this, but since it's happening under the Obama administration, you can't help but bitch about it. In other words, you're a partisan hack.

Whose bitchin'?...hmmm...??

Anyhow, what do YOU think this is about?
Does Australia need protecting from another Country threatening to invade them?

 

[MeBelle]

So, you think China will attack Aus?

 

[J.E.D]

I could see liberals having a problem with this; but conservatives?....hmmmm....me thinks that you would normally support this, but since it's happening under the Obama administration, you can't help but bitch about it. In other words, you're a partisan hack.

Whose bitchin'?...hmmm...??

Anyhow, what do YOU think this is about?
Does Australia need protecting from another Country threatening to invade them?

Sorry, I was responding to LoveBear. You were not bitching, that is true. I'm not really sure what to think about it. I see the need for keeping peace around the globe, but I also understand why some Americans and some nations are wary of the US spreading its troops to another corner of the world.

 

[Navy1960]

ALMOST half of Australians think their country will face China's military might within 20 years, a poll has found.

On the eve of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's first trip to China, a Lowy Institute poll found 44 per cent of people think the Asian powerhouse will pose a military threat to Australia.

Of those people, 82 per cent thought Australia's land and resources could be a reason for an attack or invasion.

Most people worried about China's military rise think a war between China and the US, in which Australia would take part, is a more likely cause of strife.
Aussies fear threat of war with China | Herald Sun

 

[J.E.D]

ALMOST half of Australians think their country will face China's military might within 20 years, a poll has found.

On the eve of Prime Minister Julia Gillard's first trip to China, a Lowy Institute poll found 44 per cent of people think the Asian powerhouse will pose a military threat to Australia.

Of those people, 82 per cent thought Australia's land and resources could be a reason for an attack or invasion.

Most people worried about China's military rise think a war between China and the US, in which Australia would take part, is a more likely cause of strife.
Aussies fear threat of war with China | Herald Sun

That is a scary scenario. Let's hope it doesn't come to fruition.

 

[Lovebears65]

I could see liberals having a problem with this; but conservatives?....hmmmm....me thinks that you would normally support this, but since it's happening under the Obama administration, you can't help but bitch about it. In other words, you're a partisan hack.

Whose bitchin'?...hmmm...??

Anyhow, what do YOU think this is about?
Does Australia need protecting from another Country threatening to invade them?

Sorry, I was responding to LoveBear. You were not bitching, that is true. I'm not really sure what to think about it. I see the need for keeping peace around the globe, but I also understand why some Americans and some nations are wary of the US spreading its troops to another corner of the world.

I am not bitching. I am just pointing out the hypocrisy that is called Obama .. You know that guy who got the noble peace prize just weeks after he got the presidency . And I know your answer he did not nominate himself , which is true , but he should have not accepted either since he had done nothing to that point for peace and so far I have not seen any peace then to now. Lets see he continued Iraq until now, He still has gitmo open, Afghanistan , Uganda now he is sending troops to Australia . This is the same guy who voted No or just present to anything he was in office in the Senate. I can care less that the troops are there. Hell I would have loved if hubby was in the military still to get stationed there but that is not my point, my point is he is a hypocrite!!

 

[waltky]

Granny got her Mossburg 12ga. loaded with rocksalt in case dey get any bright ideas...

China in US gunsights
6 January 2012 - The US review has prompted some to ask whether a clash between the US and China is inevitable

Is China's rise going to lead to conflict with America? Is Beijing destined to go to war with today's undisputed global superpower? The question is not posed directly in the new US defence strategic review. But, unspoken, it is there, running through the document that seeks to shape America's new military thinking for the 21st Century. Read the review and it is clear that the challenge posed by a rising China is at the very heart of America's new defence strategy. The document is careful to say China is not destined to be an adversary. But it makes clear America is, nevertheless, about to retool its military to deter China, and, if necessary, to confront it.

Released by President Barack Obama at the Pentagon, the aim of the new strategy is there in black and white: to reshape the US military in a way that "preserves American global leadership, maintains our military superiority". The Pentagon and the White House are certainly not ready to accept the notion that America is inevitably facing long-term decline while China is on an equally inevitable rise. America wants to remain number one, and this new defence policy is designed to achieve that.

Lack of trust

In the very first sentence of his preamble, President Obama says "our nation is at a moment of transition," and the review states: "We face an inflection point." It identifies two basic forces shaping the transition, one inside America, one outside. At home growing budget pressures mean there have to be cuts in military spending. At the same time there is the awareness that, abroad, China's growing economic strength is changing the dynamic of power in Asia. The new defence posture, says the US, encourages "the peaceful rise of new powers". That is code for welcoming China's ascent, and has been said many times before. As to what China's rise means, the new strategy is open-minded. "Over the long term," it says, noncommittally, "China's emergence as a regional power will have the potential to affect the US economy and our security in a variety of ways."

Note the way that China is described as an emerging "regional power". The Pentagon is not ready to accord China the status of a global power or superpower, or even an emerging superpower, a reflection of the fact that China's military reach is still far from global. However China's economic influence does now span the world. America and China are bound by mutual self-interest. But the review is clear there is a real lack of trust. "Our two countries have a strong stake in peace and stability in East Asia and an interest in building a co-operative bilateral relationship. However, the growth of China's military power must be accompanied by a greater clarity of its strategic intentions in order to avoid causing friction in the region."

Arms race

See also:

China warns US on Asia military strategy
6 January 2012 - America and China are bound by mutual self-interest. But the review is clear there is a real lack of trust”

China's state media have warned the US against "flexing its muscles" after Washington unveiled a defence review switching focus to the Asia-Pacific. In an editorial, official news agency Xinhua said President Barack Obama's move to increase US presence in the region could come as a welcome boost to stability and prosperity. But it said any US militarism could create ill will and "endanger peace".

Mr Obama also plans $450bn (£290bn) in cuts to create a "leaner" military. Thousands of troops are expected to be axed over the next decade under the far-reaching defence review. The defence budget could also lose another $500bn at the end of this year after Congress failed to agree on deficit reduction following a debt-ceiling deal in August 2011. Mr Obama said the "tide of war was receding" in Afghanistan and that the US must renew its economic power.

Regional disputes

However, he told reporters at the Pentagon: "We'll be strengthening our presence in the Asia-Pacific, and budget reductions will not come at the expense of this critical region." Xinhua said the US role could be good for China in helping to secure the "peaceful environment" it needed to continue its economic development. But it added: "While boosting its military presence in the Asia-Pacific, the United States should abstain from flexing its muscles, as this won't help solve regional disputes. "If the United States indiscreetly applies militarism in the region, it will be like a bull in a china shop, and endanger peace instead of enhancing regional stability."

BBC Asia analyst Charles Scanlon said the US decision to focus on Asia would have come as no surprise to China's leaders. However, to some in Beijing, it would look like a containment strategy designed to curtail China's growing power. Beijing officials have yet to comment. However, the Communist Party's Global Times newspaper said Washington could not stop the rise of China and called on Beijing to develop more long-range strike weapons to deter the US navy.

'Flexible and ready'

 

[Conservative]

I think it's great. I hope one of my buddies gets sent over.... so I'll have an excuse to go visit.

Hope they are deployed near Sydney. Visit, and take a side trip to Tasmania. It's amazing.

 

[NLT]

I don't even know what to think of this!

BBC News - Obama visit: Australia agrees US Marine deployment plan

"Australia has agreed to host a full US Marine task force in the coming years, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced at a news conference with US President Barack Obama in Canberra.

She said about 250 US Marines would arrive next year, eventually being built up to 2,500 personnel.

The deployment is being seen as a move to counter China's growing influence."

Discuss, please.

I love the marines but 2500 is not much of a threat to China.

 

[francoHFW]

Obama has done everything he promised that Pubs have allowed.

What Aussies mean by "facing China" is different from what fearmongering Fox/Rush mean, and fear mongered dittoheads mean...

In related news, OZ needs no "occupying" in the 99% way, as their min wage is $15 and their country is not default controlled by greedy rich Pubs/corporate tools LOL.

 

[konradv]

I don't even know what to think of this!

BBC News - Obama visit: Australia agrees US Marine deployment plan

"Australia has agreed to host a full US Marine task force in the coming years, Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced at a news conference with US President Barack Obama in Canberra.

She said about 250 US Marines would arrive next year, eventually being built up to 2,500 personnel.

The deployment is being seen as a move to counter China's growing influence."

Discuss, please.

2,500 seems like a small number. Undoubtedly part of the modernizing of the armed forces, making response times smaller and strikes more surgical. Sounds like a good use of limited funds and the country's mood to scale back our international commitments.

 

[konradv]

I love the marines but 2500 is not much of a threat to China.

Should it be about threats? It's more like, yeah, we're here, deal with it. In the most friendly way possible, of course.

 

[waltky]

Granny says dem Chinamen gettin' awful sassy in their new found prosperity...

China Urged to Respond to U.S. Defense Cuts by Strengthening Long-Range Strike Capabilities
January 6, 2012 – China should respond to Washington’s new “leaner, meaner” national defense strategy by “unit[ing] with all possible forces” and “strengthen[ing] its long-range strike abilities” to deter the United States, a Chinese state media outlet said Friday.

Recognizing that Iran’s policies are a restraint to the U.S., Beijing also should avoid treating Tehran in accordance with the values of the U.S., the Communist Party-affiliated Global Times added in an editorial commenting on the strategy unveiled by President Obama at the Pentagon Thursday. The Chinese government has yet to officially react to the strategy, which involves a shift to smaller and more agile military deployments focusing on the Asia-Pacific and Middle East. The document, Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense, refers to potential attempts by “sophisticated adversaries,” using capabilities including electronic warfare, missiles and air defenses, to deny U.S. forces access to and freedom to operate in certain areas.

“States such as China and Iran will continue to pursue asymmetric means to counter our power projection capabilities,” it says, adding that the U.S. will invest as necessary to ensure that it is able to continue operating in such areas – “sustaining our undersea capabilities, developing a new stealth bomber, improving missile defenses, and continuing efforts to enhance the resiliency and effectiveness of critical space-based capabilities.” Although the document does not specify the areas concerned, Beijing and Tehran have challenged U.S. freedom of navigation in the South China Sea and the Persian Gulf’s Strait of Hormuz respectively, two of the world’s most vital waterways. The U.S. military refers to the strategy being pursued by antagonists as “anti-access/area-denial.” Elsewhere the new defense strategy says that China’s emergence as a regional power will over the long term “have the potential to affect the U.S. economy and our security in a variety of ways.”

Although the U.S. and China have a strong interest in building a cooperative relationship, it says, “the growth of China’s military power must be accompanied by greater clarity of its strategic intentions in order to avoid causing friction in the region.” “The United States will continue to make the necessary investments to ensure that we maintain regional access and the ability to operate freely in keeping with our treaty obligations and with international law.” On Iran, the document says military policy in the Gulf region will emphasize security “to prevent Iran’s development of a nuclear weapon capability and counter its destabilizing policies.” “To support these objectives, the United States will continue to place a premium on U.S. and allied military presence in – and support of – partner nations in and around this region.”

‘U.S. cannot stop the rise of China’

 

[waltky]

Chinese react to Obama's new China policy...

Chinese media slams US 'look east' policy
Jan 8, 2012: China's state-run news media warned Washington on Friday not to "recklessly practice militarism" or engage in "war mongering," a day after the Obama administration outlined a new military strategy with an increased focus on China.

The sharply worded commentary , published by the official Xinhua News Agency, also urged the United States to play a constructive role in the region. The official media also warned that the revamped national defence strategy and identifying China as a security threat may challenge mutual trust and cause potential military tensions between the two countries.

The new defence strategic document titled 'Sustaining US Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defence' calls for the US military to strengthen its presence in Asia-Pacific and identifies China as a security threat in long term. The military review says US economic and security interests are "inextricably" connected with the area and the US military accordingly will "of necessity rebalance toward the Asia- Pacific region" , including strengthening Asian allies and investing in the strategic partnership with India, state-run China Daily reported. China's state media also accused US of being a "troublemaker" .

President Obama introduced a new defence strategy on Thursday, aimed at creating a leaner, more dynamic American fighting force with an enlarged presence in Asia and the Pacific. The US had signaled its intention to bolster its military presence in Asia last month, and analysts say that has heightened concerns here that Washington is trying to counter China's rise. Relations between the US and China have often been strained over military issues.

The Xinhua commentary, published under the byline Yu Zhixiao, does not represent China's official position. But because Xinhua is the official propaganda arm of the Communist Party, its editorials often mirror Beijing's positions . The commentary echoed earlier statements by military officials.

Source

See also:

China stays cool as new US defense strategy targets Asia
January 6, 2012 - Some Chinese scholars worry that the new US defense strategy could promote strategic competition in the long term. The most likely theater for crisis? The South China Sea.

As the Pentagon puts China firmly in its sights with a new US defense strategy that makes Asia its top priority, Chinese analysts are keeping their cool. Though targeting Beijing will complicate US-China relations, they say there is no reason to panic. “Military guys always seek the best but prepare for the worst,” says Jin Canrong, deputy head of the School of International Studies at Renmin University in Beijing, commenting on the strategy document unveiled Thursday by US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. That document calls for an increase in the number of US troops in Asia both in the face of uncertainty over China’s strategic goals, and North Korea's future.

Officially, Beijing was mute Friday about the US strategic shift to its doorstep. Neither the Foreign Ministry nor the Defense Ministry answered requests for comment. But several scholars closely linked to foreign policy-making circles say they do not see the move as a fundamental shift in US attitudes to China. “It does not mean that the US is trying to contain China” as it once sought to contain the former Soviet Union, says Yuan Peng, head of the US department at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, a government-linked think tank. “They are hedging, but they still hope to have positive relations.”


American analysts agreed. “This document emphasizes the pessimistic scenario. It is necessarily an insurance policy,” says Denny Roy, a security expert at the East-West Center in Hawaii. “You don’t see the full breadth of US policy toward China here.” That does not mean, however, that Washington is not worried by China’s intentions as it modernizes its military, building advanced stealth jet fighters, developing an anti-ship missile that could keep US vessels 1,500 km (about 932 miles) away from the Chinese coastline, and refurbishing an old Soviet aircraft carrier with which to run sea trials.

Promoting strategic competition

“China would not be wrong to conclude that the US is concerned by its military modernization and its intentions,” says Bonnie Glaser, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. “But it would be wrong to say China is now a US adversary.

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