ThePythonicCow
30th March 2014, 21:37
A couple of related headlines caught my attention.
Five days ago, in the Washington Times, Obama to kill Navy’s Tomahawk, Hellfire missile programs in budget decimation (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/obama-kill-navys-tomahawk-hellfire-missile-program/):
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President Barack Obama is seeking to abolish two highly successful missile programs that experts say have helped the U.S. Navy maintain military superiority for the past several decades.
The Tomahawk missile program—known as “the world’s most advanced cruise missile”—is set to be cut by $128 million under Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal and completely eliminated by fiscal year 2016, according to budget documents released by the Navy.
In addition to the monetary cuts to the program, the number of actual Tomahawk missiles acquired by the United States would drop significantly—from 196 last year to just 100 in 2015. The number will then drop to zero in 2016.
The Navy will also be forced to cancel its acquisition of the well-regarded and highly effective Hellfire missiles in 2015, according to Obama’s proposal.
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Then yesterday in the Want China Times (Taiwan), Putin gives green light to sale of S-400 missile system to China (http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140329000166&cid=1101&MainCatID=11):
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Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has given a green light to sell the country's newest S-400 air defense guided missile system to China, which Russian media claim will give Beijing an edge in the airspace of the Taiwan Strait and over islands in the East China Sea at the center of a dispute with Japan, reports the military news website of Huanqiu.com, the Chinese-language website of China's Global Times.
Beijing has been interested in acquiring the guided missile system since 2011. Two years ago, Russia talked with several countries interested in buying the system but was forced to suspend negotiations in order to ensure its supply to the Russian military, the general manager of a Russian national defense export company told Russian newspaper Kommersant in January this year. Export sales of the system may not begin until 2016.
...Though in what volume China wishes to acquire the S-400 system is unclear, Kommersant's source said China wants enough systems to equip two to four battalions. The People's Liberation Army has already obtained an air defense guided missile system and another command system from Russian and deployed them in the defense of Beijing and Shanghai, according to the paper, which estimated that the country would be able to control the airspace over Taiwan and the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan).
~~~~~~~~~~
It would seem that on many fronts, including gold, rare earth minerals, gas and oil, manufacturing, national solvency, regional dominance, space technology, and now military and naval dominance, the balance of power is shifting from the United States towards Asia, in particular Russia and China.
It remains, in my view, to be seen whether this is
a shift in power centers, as has happened many times in the past (see my post What I see coming for the next few years -- Post #75 (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?69322-What-I-see-coming-for-the-next-few-years.&p=815780&viewfull=1#post815780)) or
a deliberate controlled demolition of the "dominant nation state" organization of world power, in favor an explicitly centralized world authority (and in particular world monetary system.)
My money is on the second choice above.
Five days ago, in the Washington Times, Obama to kill Navy’s Tomahawk, Hellfire missile programs in budget decimation (http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/mar/25/obama-kill-navys-tomahawk-hellfire-missile-program/):
~~~~~~~~~~
President Barack Obama is seeking to abolish two highly successful missile programs that experts say have helped the U.S. Navy maintain military superiority for the past several decades.
The Tomahawk missile program—known as “the world’s most advanced cruise missile”—is set to be cut by $128 million under Obama’s fiscal year 2015 budget proposal and completely eliminated by fiscal year 2016, according to budget documents released by the Navy.
In addition to the monetary cuts to the program, the number of actual Tomahawk missiles acquired by the United States would drop significantly—from 196 last year to just 100 in 2015. The number will then drop to zero in 2016.
The Navy will also be forced to cancel its acquisition of the well-regarded and highly effective Hellfire missiles in 2015, according to Obama’s proposal.
~~~~~~~~~~
Then yesterday in the Want China Times (Taiwan), Putin gives green light to sale of S-400 missile system to China (http://www.wantchinatimes.com/news-subclass-cnt.aspx?id=20140329000166&cid=1101&MainCatID=11):
~~~~~~~~~~
Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, has given a green light to sell the country's newest S-400 air defense guided missile system to China, which Russian media claim will give Beijing an edge in the airspace of the Taiwan Strait and over islands in the East China Sea at the center of a dispute with Japan, reports the military news website of Huanqiu.com, the Chinese-language website of China's Global Times.
Beijing has been interested in acquiring the guided missile system since 2011. Two years ago, Russia talked with several countries interested in buying the system but was forced to suspend negotiations in order to ensure its supply to the Russian military, the general manager of a Russian national defense export company told Russian newspaper Kommersant in January this year. Export sales of the system may not begin until 2016.
...Though in what volume China wishes to acquire the S-400 system is unclear, Kommersant's source said China wants enough systems to equip two to four battalions. The People's Liberation Army has already obtained an air defense guided missile system and another command system from Russian and deployed them in the defense of Beijing and Shanghai, according to the paper, which estimated that the country would be able to control the airspace over Taiwan and the disputed Diaoyutai islands (Diaoyu to China, Senkaku to Japan).
~~~~~~~~~~
It would seem that on many fronts, including gold, rare earth minerals, gas and oil, manufacturing, national solvency, regional dominance, space technology, and now military and naval dominance, the balance of power is shifting from the United States towards Asia, in particular Russia and China.
It remains, in my view, to be seen whether this is
a shift in power centers, as has happened many times in the past (see my post What I see coming for the next few years -- Post #75 (http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?69322-What-I-see-coming-for-the-next-few-years.&p=815780&viewfull=1#post815780)) or
a deliberate controlled demolition of the "dominant nation state" organization of world power, in favor an explicitly centralized world authority (and in particular world monetary system.)
My money is on the second choice above.