"It's disturbing how ill-informed & naive the average American is on China."
@USNavy Admiral publicly states #China is the "number one challenge" of the 21st century and represents the most dangerous trend in #geopolitics.
Eye-opening speech.
I cut the 60 mins down to 5 👇
Rear Admiral and Commander of Office of Naval Intelligence, Mike Studeman, delivered a chilling address on the threat posed by China.
"It's mind blowing how big the problem is. It's very unsettling to see how much the US is not connecting the dots on the challenge."
"The problem is so massive most people don't know how to have a framework for it. We need to have more conversations with the country to understand the problem."
The Adm. says it's a tougher problem than the US faced against the Soviet Union in the Cold War.
Let that sink in.
In contrast, China views the US differently.
"We are clearly the number one enemy. We are characterized as such. Most Chinese fully believe that in their minds."
Why?
"They think America is dangerous. They don't think democracies are efficient. They think they're ineffective."
"The China challenge could be the most nonpartisan issue that could unite the country in significant ways."
The Adm. makes a plea:
"Can we please lower the amount of internal bickering within the US and focus on the international challenges that actually affect every American?"
This is the single most important video of the year.
"We're going to find that we could very well lose the peace. We worry about winning the war, prevailing, but we can also lose the peace in the meantime."
The entire speech is worth watching and full of fascinating insights.
- 4 Chinese warships crossed into the U.S. EEZ near Alaska
- PLA & Russian Navies conducting joint drills in WESTPAC
- Record-breaking military activity around Taiwan
- Surging ships into the South China Sea
- Shandong carrier group underway
A lot going on 🧵
USCG: The crew of U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Kimball (WMSL 756) detected 3 Chinese vessels ~124 miles north of the Amchitka Pass in the Aleutian Islands, & an HC-130J aircrew from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak detected an additional vessel ~84 miles north of the Amukta Pass.
All four of the People’s Republic of China vessels were transiting in international waters but still inside the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, which extends 200 nautical miles from the U.S. shoreline.
The USCG did not confirm the composition of the Chinese surface action group, but it’s likely made up of ships I included below from Eastern Theater Command.
Note: In September 2021 & 2022, USCG cutters deployed in the Bering Sea also encountered PLA Navy surface action groups.
🚨 Breaking: China moves the Shandong carrier strike group into the Western Pacific
Japan’s defense ministry confirmed the aircraft carrier, escorted by some of China’s newest & most advanced warships, was 500km SE of Okinawa, Japan, 9 July
1st transit east of Taiwan in 2024 🧵
Thread tracking increased & interesting PLA military activity in the Indo-Pacific:
“At approximately 7:00 a.m. on Tuesday, July 9, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force confirmed that four Chinese Navy vessels, namely, the Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Shandong (ship number "17"), the Renhai-class guided missile destroyer (ship number "106"), the Luyang III-class guided missile destroyer (ship number "164"), and the Jiangkai II-class frigate (ship number "571"), were sailing in waters approximately 520 km southeast of Miyako Island (Okinawa Prefecture), and confirmed the takeoff and landing of carrier-based fighter jets and helicopters from the Chinese Navy Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier Shandong.”
China’s massive 12,000-ton intimidator, China Coast Guard 5901 (nicknamed “The Monster”), has taken up station in the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) at Sabina Shoal.
🚨For 5 days in a row, 4 Chinese Coast Guard ships have repeatedly entered the 12-mile territorial limit around Japan’s Senkaku islands
CCG “drove away & expelled” Japanese patrol boats & have been spotted sailing within Japan’s EEZ for 186 days straight, the longest record ever
While it doesn’t get as much mainstream media attention, China employs many of the same gray zone tactics around the Senkakus that they do in the Taiwan Strait & South China Sea. Worth repeating what I said below — Beijing is all over Taiwan, the Philippines, & Japan.
Three Dongdiao-class surveillance ships have also been operating around Japan over the last week (791, 795, 799), as well as a Luyang III Mod guided-missile destroyer (156).