I've long suspected that SOCOM was in Taiwan...but Marines too?

 via Military.com

U.S. special operations forces and Marines have been deployed to Taiwan and secretly training its military for at least a year as China becomes increasingly aggressive with its territorial claim on the island, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.

A couple of dozen special operators and support troops are training small units of Taiwan's ground forces, while a contingent of Marines is working with local maritime forces on small-boat training, according to the report, which cited unnamed U.S. officials.

The news report came amid a record-setting number of Chinese military flights around the island. The People's Liberation Army made a total of 149 military flights over four days, including 56 on Monday, The Associated Press reported.

It also comes at a time of heightened U.S.-China tensions over issues ranging from trade to human rights to COVID-19 and seems sure to further stoke Beijing's ire.

In a statement to the Journal, the Chinese foreign ministry said the country "will take all necessary steps to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity."

The Marine Corps on Thursday directed questions to the Pentagon, which declined to comment directly on the report when contacted by Military.com. A spokesman did release a general statement on the Pentagon's position toward China and Taiwan.

Here

Just wow.  That deflection confirms that Marines are on that island.

Wonder where they pulled them from?

Regardless is it my imagination or does this seem SUPER provocative.  Using SOCOM is one thing.  But using Marines in such an open manner seems designed to agitate.

Am I the only one sensing that the Pentagon would rather the big fight happen sooner rather than later?

I've long advocated that it would have been better to kill the China baby in its crib, but we didn't.  Knock off a teenage China that full of Testosterone and lacking any self control?  Doable but harder than it should have been.

One thing is certain.  This is the right stimulant to get them raging...raging hard.