Those artificial Chinese islands are now bases....

Seven island bases...that's one for the 82nd...they can do the airfield thing...the USMC can get the deep water ports islands...they built enough for a multi service operation..thanks!

via abs-cbn.com

The commander of the U.S. Pacific Command has warned of China's growing military might, saying Beijing has unilaterally built "seven new military bases" in the South China Sea.

"China is attempting to assert de facto sovereignty over disputed maritime features by further militarizing its man-made bases," Adm. Harry Harris said in a congressional hearing on Wednesday.

Harris told the House Armed Services Committee the seven new facilities included "aircraft hangers, barracks facilities, radar facilities, weapon emplacements (and) 10,000-foot runways."

China has overlapping territorial claims with Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Vietnam and Taiwan in the South China Sea, a strategic waterway through which over one-third of global trade passes.

Harris said he sees Beijing's assertive territorial claims in the East and South China seas as "coordinated, methodical and strategic, using their military and economic power to erode the free and open international order."

In the East China Sea, Chinese government vessels have repeatedly intruded into Japanese waters around the Senkaku Islands in an attempt to undermine Japan's administration of the uninhabited islets.

Harris said the U.S. alliance with Japan "has never been stronger," and that Washington's alliance with South Korea is "ironclad."

Harris, who is set to become the next U.S. ambassador to Australia, also hailed the Washington-Canberra alliance, saying bilateral military ties are "terrific" and that Australia is "one of the keys to a rules-based international order."

Just awesome.

Everyone is talking about these being perfect for TLAM strikes but I say they're perfect for a well planned Marine raid with the idea OF SEIZING THEM!

Thanks China.

You just gave everyone from some future MEU commander, MARSOC, Ranger, SEAL Platoon(s) and maybe even 25th ID bubbas a new fantasy target.

It's doable too.

Coverage for the operation would have to be massive but the biggest threat would probably be undersea.  Sappers would probably get a workout defusing the place once it was realized they couldn't hold it.

Let's face it.  SOCOM will steal this and they'd probably kill to do it.  Our best hope is that MARSOC gets the lead and it's done early enough in the fight to make a difference.

But still.

In an actual conflict these would make JUICY targets of opportunity....Early warning is futile unless they push us out of Japan and Korea....

Is this for the second phase?  Was this built with the idea of us having to fight our way back into the neighborhood?

Maybe TLAM strikes might be the better option after all!