Chinese Dragon Awakens - Chinese Military Build-up

[Praxus]

I’m afraid you’re mistaken the SA-20 has been in service in Russia for many years. As stated in the Annual Report to Congress: The Military Power of the Peoples Republic of China 2005(http://russia.shaps.hawaii.edu/security/us/2005/d20050719china.html); in August 2004, China received the final shipment from Russia of four S-300PMU-1/SA-20 battalions. China has also agreed to purchase follow-on S-300PMU-2, the first battalion of which is expected to arrive in 2006.

The S-300PMU-2 is not the same thing as S-400. Although a very capable system it is not on the same level as the S-400. The S-400 has been marked by delay after delay due to lack of interest in the product. The S-300 is known as the SA-10, not the SA-20.

Although we do have bases in Turkey, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates it would still take several hours of flight and an air-air refueling to reach Teheran. We would lose the tactical advantage of having a carrier in the gulf.

Iraq and Afghanistan are closer to Tehran then any carrier would be. The Carrier would have be stationed below Qatar to avoid anti-shipping missiles anyways, making Qatar just as reasonable a place to launch aircraft from as an aircraft carrier.

Pulse lets not forget the North Koreans.

Like a I said before, threaten them with a nuclear strike if they don't cease and desist.

Its also true that we have mothballed carriers but they are mostly for test and spare parts.

Every Carrier even in the Nimitz class are different. They are not the same exact ship, and parts can't be used interchangeably.

If they were used for tests and spare parts they wouldn't be mothballed, because that be contrary to the definition of mothballing.

I don’t think we will have the 2 or so years to rebuild a Vietnam era carrier.

We wouldn't need too, my point was that they can take out a Carrier and have no long term effect on the effectiveness of our fleet.

I thought about this too. What if we gave Taiwan a boomer? What would be the Chinese response? It would definitely make China think twice about attacking Taiwan, but least we forget China has a boomer as well. Not to mention nuclear weapons, I don’t think we'd risk nuclear war with China.

I'm talking about North Korea and Iran. In the event of war with China over Taiwan we can check Iran and North Korea with boomers stationed near them (which I'm sure already are) and threaten to use them.

[Rearden_Steel]

- China has both SA-10s and SA-20s.

- We have no fighter/bomber bases in Iraq or Afghanistan.

- There is no “Moth balled “ NIMITZ class carriers. The parts they take from older classes are overhead lights, desk, shelves, and minor equipment of lesser importance. They also use them for test platforms and occasionally blow them up (Like the USS AMERICA)

- We need Carriers in the Gulf; they are still vital to our operations in the Middle East. A carrier in the Gulf could respond faster in both Iraq and Afghanistan then an air force base could. That’s way there is always a carrier in the Gulf even today. If it were unnecessary they would not be there.

[Praxus]

- China has both SA-10s and SA-20s.

The SA-20 is called the "Triumf" and it's other designation is S-400, the Chinese simply do not have this. The Chinese have the SA-10 and the SA-12 and both of these are from the S-300 series.

- We have no fighter/bomber bases in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Upgrade Iraqi airfields. Seabees could build temporary bases in Afghanistan or upgrade old Soviet air fields.. I'm not saying it is the ideal situation, but certainly is possible given an emergency situation like a war with China over Taiwan. I don't even think bases in Iraq of Afghanistan are nessecary as the ones in Qatar and Kuwait are absolutely massive and capable of holding plenty of aircraft.

http://www.good-hotels-guide.com/middle-east/middle-east.gif

Look how close Qatar and Kuwait are to both Iran and Iraq. Just as close as any carrier would be.

- There is no “Moth balled “ NIMITZ class carriers. The parts they take from older classes are overhead lights, desk, shelves, and minor equipment of lesser importance.  They also use them for test platforms and occasionally blow them up (Like the USS AMERICA)

I never claimed that we had moth-balled Nimitz carries, simply that they were all different so the ones we do have in mothball could not give the Nimitz Carriers supply parts. I could see how they would take the minor things like that, but I don't see how that would effect their commisioning time.

They don't blow up mothballed ships, it's as simple as that. The mothballed fleet in essance is the Naval reserve.

- We need Carriers in the Gulf; they are still vital to our operations in the Middle East. A carrier in the Gulf could respond faster in both Iraq and Afghanistan then an air force base could.

We simply do not need them. Bases in Qatar and Kuwait are closer then any Carrier would be.

That’s way there is always a carrier in the Gulf even today. If it were unnecessary they would not be there.

It couldn't be that the admirals want some credit for the action?