I have not adopted the same argument. Your argument is actually closer to that than mine. I am saying that people will try to justify killing using whatever they have. It is not necessarily related to religion at all, but to their ideals and beliefs, and fueled by the need to change something or make something of…

Your own details are demolishing your argument. The only reason you know the names of the people responsible for these lone-wolf one-off attacks is because they are so rare.

Iran thought it belonged to them, so they mined it. China thinks this belongs to them, so how would it be any different if they mined it?

That’s not a propeller, that is the tail fins. These glide to the target from long distances. There are also versions that are rocket-assisted to extend glide range.

Right, I don’t see their military presence on that island as anything difference than warships in international waters. Unless they actually start using the weapons, they are of no consequence.

It was both. Sending messages, and receiving messages. It is called communication.

The idea was to go within 12-miles, as the 12-mile distance only applies to your borders. These are new borders they are trying to draw based on man-made islands. Going outside the 12-miles would have been pointless.

If China does nothing, everyone continues BAU, which is what we want. The idea is to prove that China will do nothing, so smaller nations don’t have to worry about avoiding that area.

I am fairly certain mining International waters is considered illegal under international maritime law. The US retaliated a couple of times against Iran when they mined the Strait of Hormuz during the Iran-Iraq war, and a US ship hit a mine. They also went in with minesweepers and cleared paths for civilian traffic.

The idea is more like if you claimed the sidewalk in front of your house. You could sit on your porch with a baseball bat and tell people to stay off your sidewalk. If people oblige then you now have de-facto control of the sidewalk.

This isn’t just “flexing muscles”... it is calling a bluff, that if it stands can threaten trade for ALL nations through that area. It is one of the most essential uses of our defense budget and one that has done the most benefit for everyone on this planet.

Despite all the downsides, I’d love to see us send an Iowa through there and watch them try to harass it.

We (the US) give out more hand-outs than anybody. In fact, their people kill each other to steal and control those hand-outs (see Somalia).

Have you ever seen an airfield in Russia? Their aircraft are made to take off in just such environments. In fact, some of their tactical aircraft (like the Mig-29) close their main intakes and opens slits in the top during take-off for just that reason.

Is it just me, or are those chips painted white? Reminds me of... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Whi…

Retired General “Mike” Hostage, is that you?

“With seemingly every egg in the F-35’s basket, the tactical relevancy of the backbone of the USAF’s fighter force for the foreseeable future is just another sacrifice that has been made at the Joint Strike Fighter’s alter. “

Oh I mistook that for the laughter of a madman. Carry on then ;)

It all has to do with strategy and doctrine. Russia builds superior SAMs in lieu of top-notch fighters, the US builds air dominance fighters and very limited SAM capabilities.

Very sad. I saw the picture of the F-18 and thought “awesome!” until I read the headline. I can’t imagine being the crew chief of this bird right now, waiting for details on the cause.