U.S. Sends Two B-52 Bombers Into Air Zone Claimed by China

Defying China, two long-range American bombers flew through contested airspace over the East China Sea, days after the Chinese announced they were claiming the right to police the sky above a vast area that includes islands at the center of a simmering dispute with Japan.

The United States, long the dominant power in the region, has been scrambling to shore up its influence there, promising, in what it called a “pivot” to Asia in 2011, to refocus its energies after the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan diverted its time and resources.
Having Japan in the mix only adds volatility. The country has its own tangled history with China, which has sped past Japan as an economic power and which retains bitter memories of imperial Japan’s military invasion last century. Under its conservative leader, Shinzo Abe, Japan has refused to back down in the dispute with China over the uninhabited islands, which Japan has long controlled.

Source
This has all the trappings of the Cold War, only with a new adversary. I honestly don't think we can afford it this go-round and are likely to come out on the losing end like Mother Russia.

The Pentagon is building up its bases in the Pacific in an effort to survive a possible Chinese missile attack, USA Today reports.

The strategy is part of the Obama administration’s pivot to Asia. The Pentagon is particularly worried about threats from Chinese missiles that could limit access to the region by U.S. ships, planes, and troops.

Source 2
When the press starts putting more and more concerns forward specific to a given subject ... it's time to start watching the money.

The Pentagon invoked a U.S. defense treaty with Japan and warned China on Saturday that its declaration of an air defense zone over the East China Sea is increasing the danger of military conflict.

In 2001, a Chinese interceptor jet collided with a U.S. EP-3 surveillance flight near the same region, setting off a crisis.

The Chinese pilot was killed when his aircraft crashed in the East China Sea. The U.S. crew made an emergency landing and was held captive by the Chinese until being released later.

Source 3
The pilot of that EP-3 is now running for the US Senate from the state of Nebraska (I hope he wins election!)

reply to post by Snarl


I would bet the pucker factor of the B-52 crew members was rather high. Best way to test a bully is to stand your ground but you have to wonder what would have happened if China would have taken a swing ? Probably allot of hand ringing and diplomatic channels burning the midnight oil, no ? Saber rattling even if the crews had been killed. I suppose it was necessary but China really has most of the cards until we can move serious non nuclear assets into the area. Guess the big boys are happy we now have a new foe and gobs and gobs of money can be thrown at the problem. Let's wait and see if the U.S. or Japan start a regular fly through of the area.. Then we will see something maybe ? Can not see the Military boys in China wanting to lose face like that would cause.... Sigh

Of course we'll believe the US that they never communicated with the Chinese to identify themselves.

We will never know unless a plane gets shot down.

reply to post by ken10


And I guess you don't believe the Japanese are sending commercial planes through the zone without flight plans either right? Or is it just the US you don't believe.

reply to post by Zaphod58


What, and you think Japan and the US would put lives at risk playing chicken ?

I'd think they'd test the resolve of the Chinese with an unmanned plane first, don't ya think.

ken10
reply to post by Zaphod58

 

What, and you think Japan and the US would put lives at risk playing chicken ?

I'd think they'd test the resolve of the Chinese with an unmanned plane first, don't ya think.

edit on 27-11-2013 by ken10 because: (no reason given)

Not the first time the US has used a manned strategic air resource to test China's resolve. Maybe Zaphod will tell us what he knows about Operation Paul Bunyan.

Now those were some interesting chemtrails -cough- I mean contrails.

reply to post by 727Sky
I'm awfully proud of our pilots and air crews and would like to shake the hand of the guy who ordered that mission. Do you think they selected BUFFs just to make sure that swing wasn't taken? IMO, we've let the other side get away with puffing out their chests for too long. Am glad to see a line being drawn finally.

China demonstrating their financial strength building empty cities has been on my mind.

reply to post by ken10


They do it all the time sending RC-135s and EP-3s. Why should this be any different.

reply to post by Zaphod58


China trying to throw its weight around. This has been international air space since ww2. Now they want to claim it and Taiwan and parts of Japan lol.

Hey did you see the pictures of their one and only aircraft carrier lol. What a dinosaur lol.

They don't want a war, we owe them to much money lol.

The Bot

727Sky
reply to post by Snarl

 

I would bet the pucker factor of the B-52 crew members was rather high. Best way to test a bully is to stand your ground but you have to wonder what would have happened if China would have taken a swing ? Probably allot of hand ringing and diplomatic channels burning the midnight oil, no ? Saber rattling even if the crews had been killed. I suppose it was necessary but China really has most of the cards until we can move serious non nuclear assets into the area. Guess the big boys are happy we now have a new foe and gobs and gobs of money can be thrown at the problem. Let's wait and see if the U.S. or Japan start a regular fly through of the area.. Then we will see something maybe ? Can not see the Military boys in China wanting to lose face like that would cause.... Sigh

The Spratly Islands have been claimed and disputed by a lot of people: China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Philippines, etc., for a quite a while. I used to fly that route when I was an NFO. It is not really "saber rattling" as it is freedom of navigation exercises. If someone claims a region and people do not keep using it for transit, then over time maritime law says that their claim becomes valid and people can no longer transit the region. It is important for us to exercise our right of passage.

Snarl
reply to post by 727Sky
I'm awfully proud of our pilots and air crews and would like to shake the hand of the guy who ordered that mission. Do you think they selected BUFFs just to make sure that swing wasn't taken? IMO, we've let the other side get away with puffing out their chests for too long. Am glad to see a line being drawn finally.

China demonstrating their financial strength building empty cities has been on my mind.

I personally believe the Buffs were a perfect choice for the mission.
When I first read the report I did wonder what other assets we had in the area just in case.
With the treaty we have with Japan for their defense IMO we really had no choice but to show the flag; and as sick as it may sound to some I wish the Buffs would do a fly-over every figging week until China sees the error in annexing international airspace and everything below...

The are some real military hot heads in China who no doubt think their war plans used during some past glory days will work with the U.S. So did Iraq's military minded leaders..

I for one hope it cools down and all the saber rattling gets put to rest. All parties involved have much to lose with little gain IMO.

With our (U.S.) treaties with Japan we have no choice but to be a presence for Japan. It is what it is so let's hope TPTB make the right moves. The world does not need a real war where several million dead would be getting off lightly. But China is an honest threat to all of S.E. Asia if they want to be. Funny most say Asian but the Asians are more racist than just about any group I know of; with them if you are not of their country they may smile and act nice in each others presence yet all the time they believe each other to be inferior or a foreign devil .. Although I will say the Chinese are usually respected for the intelligence and military might in all countries in S.E. Asia. They are the big neighbor to the north after all.

I have watched the Buddhist and their live and let live philosophy become even more entrenched in that belief in spite of the Muslim incursions with their bombs and bullets. However you burn a temple or blow up a school and they can flip a mental switch and cut the perps heart out.... I like it and figure the world would be a better place if swift justice was practiced. The live and let live I also like until someone tries to change the rules so that they live and someone else dies.

China has been buying friends, making capital investments and making practical arguments to most of S.E. Asia with regards to their geopolitical alignments and many are listening and playing the lip service game.

In reality the people are not as ignorant as they once were so the game continues and none have a crystal ball so it is a day to day process with plans and contingency plans always in the briefing rooms. ..

I don't think China has the military might as of yet to challenge the U.S. and our allies..... yet.... In another 20 years all bets are off especially if the dollar collapses... A Nuclear war? Hopefully no one is stupid enough to start that crap but those plans have been on the drawing board since Ike was president; just the targets have changed.

Sorry for the rambling reply... The Buffs were a perfect choice and I hope they keep it up for now is the time to reach an understanding on international airspace and what the range of the Adiz and Territorial waters as defined by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea . China is bucking allot of world agreements at present so standing up now may be a god send for future generations. Then maybe we can get back to live and let live if this all works out..

If someone claims a region and people do not keep using it for transit, then over time maritime law says that their claim becomes valid and people can no longer transit the region. It is important for us to exercise our right of passage.

I did not know that so thanks for the info

reply to post by 727Sky


The B-52 sends just the right message. It's old enough that it's not the threat that a B-1 or B-2 is, but it's more of a threat that a fighter sized aircraft is. It sends the message that we're going to fly through international airspace, wherever we want, without making them so nervous they'll shoot.

China is not only claiming the Senkaku Islands, but have also placed their ADIZ zone over the Ieodo Island, which has been disputed with Korea for years. It also overlaps the preexisting Korean Air Defense Zone. So they've not only managed to anger Japan, but they may have also managed to push Japan and Korea to have closer ties.

Just to clarify, this is not a "no fly zone" !....It is an "Air defense identification zone".

So from reading the article the Japanese airliners communicated and identified themselves with China, and the B-52s were identified and monitored by China....and to note as well that the B-52s were on a previously scheduled training mission (according to article).


Bit of a non story really, China just wants to know what and who is flying close to its territory...and no threats of shooting anything down have been made as far as I'm aware.

reply to post by ken10


Except it's not Chinese territory, so they don't have the right to set up an Air Defense Identification Zone. Nor do they have the right to demand flight plans from planes flying through it. The B-52s didn't follow the Chinese rules, they simply flew through the area, without giving out their radio frequency, or anything else.

China also has laid claim to an area that overlaps a preexisting Korean Air Defense Zone, which is also illegal.

reply to post by Zaphod58


And what penalties have China issued against intrusion into this zone ?

I think it is just China saying any unidentified military aircraft entering this zone will trigger China's military to be on guard in case of an invasive force.

reply to post by Zaphod58

Numerous countries, including the United States and Japan, have air defense identification zones of their own. The zones are established to help countries track or monitor aircraft nearing their territories, but in this case, the zones of Japan and China overlap. Security experts worry that China’s new zone could increase the likelihood of a mishap that sparks a wider armed conflict, drawing in the United States, which is treaty-bound to protect Japan.

Source

reply to post by ken10


You can not go around setting up air defense zones in other countries territory. It doesn't matter why, unless you have the permission of the owning country it's against international law. You also can't set up an air defense zone that encroaches into another countries.

Apologize for China all you want, they can't do what they did.

reply to post by ken10


An ADIZ is set up to monitor the twelve mile limit. Please, show me how this is legal, considering that they set it up over Japanese territory.

Zaphod58
reply to post by ken10

 

An ADIZ is set up to monitor the twelve mile limit. Please, show me how this is legal, considering that they set it up over Japanese territory.

I think the reason here is the US bases on Okinawa.....Should things escalate between China and Japan, any attack would come from the US bases there......No ?