Posted on 06/28/2013 8:10:51 PM PDT by Red Steel
The US and Japan are preparing for a possible Chinese invasion of the Senkaku Islands. Using a small island off the coast of California, US and Japanese forces are mimicking an armed invasion and an amphibious assault to prepare for a real-life scenario.
The unprecedented drills, code-named Dawn Blitz, are being conducted on San Clemente Island, which is 75 miles northwest of San Diego, the Christian Science Monitor reports. They began with an assault led by 80 US Marines and three MV-22 Osprey aircraft, and were followed by a Japanese counterattack using 1,000 troops and two warships. Although Japanese officials claim they are not preparing to target a third country, the exercises have made Chinese officials uncomfortable.
China and Japan have long disputed the Senkaku Islands, which are located in the East China Sea but which the Japanese government purchased from private owners in 2012. The islands are uninhabited, but believed to hold rich oil and gas deposits. The purchase triggered violent protests that tens of thousands of Chinese took part in, and harmed Sino-Japanese relations.
In the months after the purchase, the Chinese navy practiced military exercises near the islands, and joint US-Japanese naval drills subsequently occurred in the waters of the island chain. The latest drills off the California coast are only adding to tensions regarding the Senkaku Islands. Chinese officials reportedly objected to the drills, but their concerns were ignored by Washington, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
"We're aware of China's objections, but from a Japanese and US perspective, the object of the exercise is to build a powerful deterrent and demonstrate that the two forces are seamlessly connected – to show the Chinese that they are battle-ready," an official source familiar with Dawn Blitz told the Monitor on condition of anonymity. "There is nothing unusual in that."
The exercises began just two days after President Obama met with Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a California summit on June 8. But even though some believe the US is in a tricky position, the official does not believe the US is in the wrong, since the US-Japan security treaty requires the country to help Japan deter any attacks on its territory.
"I don't think Dawn Blitz puts the US in a tricky position," the official said. "They started the drill just after the Obama-Xi summit to avoid any diplomatic repercussions. But the fact that Japan and the US went ahead with the exercise also sends a message – that they are on the same page when it comes to deterring possible Chinese aggression."
Lt. Gen. Koichi Isobe, Japan’s vice chief of staff, told reporters that Japan’s self-defense forces (SDF) need to develop the capabilities to ward off any attacks that might occur on the remote islands.
"The defense of remote islands is a pressing issue, but the SDF [Japan's self-defense forces] has just begun training to develop such capabilities, which are required of US Marines," Japan's vice chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Koichi Isobe, told reporters. "Japan needs to determine its defense strategy and procure necessary equipment and train SDF members for this purpose."
The US has publicly refused to take sides regarding the Senkaku Islands, but its training exercises with Japan may inadvertently cause a shift in its neutrality.
Off LAX you can see Communist Chinese submarines shooting off fireworks attempting to compete with Disneyland.
Very bizarre.
Pei-Ping.
I give not a whit about whom controls the Senkaku Islands.
When was that?
Last night about 915 pm.
Ok, I realize this is not a huge deal but San Clement Island is off the coast of Santa Barbra.......not San Diego
“an assault led by 80 US Marines and three MV-22 Osprey aircraft, and were followed by a Japanese counterattack using 1,000 troops and two warships”
I think the action may be a little larger than that.
Does anyone have any idea what China’s amphibious capabilities are? I think they have one carrier, and that is being refitted. I think I just read that it took over 800 support ships for us to invade Okinawa. I do not think China is up to that. Of course they could build a bridge. They are pretty damn good with walls and transcontinental railroads; just three years to build ours.
The CSM article from June 10.
“Japanese troops to converge on Calif. in unprecedented military exercise
Japanese troops in the US: American and Japanese military officials said the training will help Japan’s Self-Defense Force better respond to crises such as natural disasters. ...”
The Chanel Island are off San Santa Barbara.
uhhh, actually San Clemente Island is closer to being off the coast of San Clemente, about 150 miles south of Santa Barbara
Does the Japanese navy still have the blueprints for the long lance torpedoes?
You could watch some landing exercise along I-5 when I lived near San Diego. Nothing quite like driving along on the freeway with a full scale invasion going on. The have underpass to get past the freeway. Back then they always found a few illeaglas while they were at it.
Santa Barbara Channel Islands:
Anacapa
San Miguel
Santa Cruz
Santa Rosa
San Clemente
San Nicolas
Santa Barbara
Santa Catalina
I know it is not the end of the world, however these islands are not off San Diego.
They will invade hiding in container ships, watch out for the container ships!
They oughta conduct these exercises in front of a Wal-Mart store!
look at a map.
I do not need to, all I have to do is look out side.
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