U.S. Navy expands 5th Fleet's gulf base

UPI ^ | 6/9/12 | UPI

[what's up]

There is a major campaign underway to make Obama look tough on defense to contrast him with Romney who he will paint as having no foreign policy experience.

The "slam Bain", the "slam Mormonism" and "divide conservatives" strategies are all failing so look for Obama and his MSM allies to double down on the National Defense strategy.

[exnavy]

Doubling Manama, reopening Clark and Subic Bay on top of 250 billion in defense spending cuts?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Don’t think the PI bases will be reopened like the old days.

[andyk]

How about any time we expand a base, we remove one. Like removing forces from Gemany, South Korea, Japan, England, etc. Why is it in our national security interests to pay for the defense of rich allies?

Seems more like we're taking it in the pooper.

[andyk]

How about any time we expand a base, we remove one. Like removing forces from Gemany, South Korea, Japan, England, etc. Why is it in our national security interests to pay for the defense of rich allies?

Seems more like we're taking it in the pooper.

[moonshot925]

We need troops overseas to deter any kind of agression against us.

It is important to have 37,000 troops in Japan and 28,500 in South Korea and 42,500 in Hawaii and 21,300 in Alaska and 4,200 in Guam.

This way we are able to have troops and naval forces all over the Pacific Ocean to deter agression from China.

[Iron Munro]

"Did I hear someone say GOLF?"

[Taxman]

Obongo Bozo’s foreign policy “credentials” are more credible than his other “credentials?”

I don’t think so!

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

It is becoming more and more reasonable for the USN to consider making its own, modular floating island base.

Such floating bases have been considered for many years, and there are many possible variations to the concept, based on need. Conceptually, it would likely be somewhat like small carriers, with large, interlocking flight decks. As needed, they could split apart to facilitate rapidly moving great distances.

Individual ships within the formation would specialize so that as a group they would be far more powerful than individually. With all that deck space, it could launch an air armada of drones that would be very hard to beat, then split apart for command and control of the armada so as not to present such a large target.

[PastorBooks]

Something like “Stargate: Atlantis”?

[af_vet_rr]

This way we are able to have troops and naval forces all over the Pacific Ocean to deter agression from China.

LOL, China is not investing billions upon billions into the United States just to go to war with us. Not even two years ago, the governor of my state, Rick Perry, went over to China and lobbied them to buy into Texas oil and gas fields. And they did, to the tune of billions of dollars. They are buying up debt, they are buying their way into our lives, you can't walk 30 feet in a Wal-Mart without encountering something made in China. You can't buy a computer from anybody that wasn't made in China. 20-30 years from now, the American aerospace industry will have gone the way of the American computer industry. Those jobs will be in China.

If they want a war with us, it will not be some messy military affair that they can't win. They'll just dump all of their investments or make other financial moves that just gut our economy or wipe out another segment of the American middle class. Those kinds of moves will do more harm to this country than anything they could do militarily.

If you are looking for a war with China, I hate to break it to you my friend, but the war is over and China won. They have the keys to our economy, and we paid them to take them.

[af_vet_rr]

It is becoming more and more reasonable for the USN to consider making its own, modular floating island base.

Individual ships within the formation would specialize so that as a group they would be far more powerful than individually. With all that deck space, it could launch an air armada of drones that would be very hard to beat, then split apart for command and control of the armada so as not to present such a large target.



I have a brother in the offshore oil industry - he's got a services company. I've seen what's required to maneuver ships and structures the size of what you are saying. It's not pretty and they would be incredibly vulnerable, and it's very time consuming and resource intensive. It would be far cheaper to just have long range drones and some carriers.

[af_vet_rr]

How about any time we expand a base, we remove one. Like removing forces from Gemany, South Korea, Japan, England, etc. Why is it in our national security interests to pay for the defense of rich allies?

While I think we spend way too much in contributing money and materials directly to other nations, especially certain nations in the Middle East that both Bushes, Clinton, and now Obama are way too fond of, there are good reasons to have some of those bases. Take Germany for instance - major transport hub and major medical facilities. Those aren't things you want placed in a forward position if you can avoid it - you want them in stable allies. Lot of wounded soldiers and Marines coming out of the Middle East pass through the US hospitals in Germany.

I do agree though, we are way too involved militarily with other nations. Some nations, we don't have a choice - if we don't fight them there, they will fight us here. But others....I really question the motives. Makes me think they have lobbyists working for them.

[moonshot925]

The Chinese manufacturing sector is only slightly larger than the USA.

$1.922 Trillion VS $1.885 Trillion

The USA is able to manufacture $1.885 Trillion of goods in 2010 with only 11.6 million workers.

China needs over 100 million workers to manufacture $1.922 Trillion worth of goods in 2010.

China owns $1.17 Trillion of US government debt. That is only 8% of the $15.7 Trillion national debt.

We could easily print $1.17 Trillion and pay off the debt to China.

[bill1952]

>reopening Clark and Subic Bay on top of 250 billion in defense spending cuts?

Negative. Some of these facilities were damaged by volcanic action and there are extensive private businesses set up on these facilities.
What will happen is an increase in Navy port of call visits and thats about it.
Reading the media take on these actions can lead one who is on the ground to wonder if they exist in a parallel universe.

[Sola Veritas]

“This way we are able to have troops and naval forces all over the Pacific Ocean to deter agression from China.”

Exactly right. China is beginning to act in the Pacific just like Japan did leading up to WWII.

[dodger]

Obama will war on Iran to re-elect Obama ...

[dodger]

Obama will war on Iran to re-elect Obama ...