Admiral Mullen’s brief op-ed in the NYT on “A Step Toward Trust With China“:
THE military relationship between the United States and China is one of the world’s most important. And yet, clouded by some misunderstanding and suspicion, it remains among the most challenging. There are issues on which we disagree and are tempted to confront each other. But there are crucial areas where our interests coincide, on which we must work together.
So we need to make the relationship better, by seeking strategic trust.
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That’s why I invited my counterpart in the People’s Liberation Army, Gen. Chen Bingde, to the United States in May, and it’s why he was my host in China two weeks ago. We broke new ground by, among other things, showing him Predator drone capabilities in detail and a live-fire exercise; the Chinese reciprocated with a tour of their latest submarine, a close look at an SU-27 jet fighter and a complex counterterrorism exercise.
Our discussions were candid and forthright. General Chen made no bones about his concerns about American arms sales to Taiwan, and I made it clear that the United States military will not shrink from our responsibilities to allies and partners. He said the P.L.A.’s strategic intentions were purely defensive; I said that neither the skills they were perfecting nor their investments seemed to support that argument.
Yea, verily - trust but verify:
The US military vowed on Monday to press ahead with surveillance flights near China despite opposition from Beijing, after reports Chinese jets crossed a boundary with Taiwan to pursue a US spy plane.
Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was asked about a June 29 incident in which two Chinese Sukhoi-27 fighters briefly crossed a line in the center of the Taiwan Strait that is considered an unofficial air boundary between both countries.
Asian media reported the Chinese jets were attempting to intercept a US U-2 reconnaissance plane.
“We won’t be deterred from flying in international airspace,” Mullen told reporters in Washington in response.
“The Chinese would see us move out of there. … We’re not going to do that, from my perspective. These reconnaissance flights are important.”
The bug hunt going on in Afghanistan is important. Keeping a lid on the South China Sea – Beijing is offering “one on one negotiations” with Manilla over the Spratlys – is crucial.
From my pov Mullen is such a disaster in so many ways I don’t even know where to begin. I wouldn’t trust him to walk my dog–and I don’t even OWN a dog..
My husband works about 5 months of the year in China for Motorola. He is there now. If you don’t think China owns us just ask me where my husband worked 10 years ago. Here’s a hint: the manufacturing was done in the U.S.
back then. Everyone lost their jobs…
I guess you could say that we are one of the lucky ones; that my husband’s expertise allowed him to stay employed.
I have a son in the Navy. He recently remarked to me “Mom, you are just like a military family. Getting ready for deployment or on deployment.”
I would have to say that that is absolutely true.
Yeah, Mullen, it’s always such a good idea to show our most dangerous military, political, and fiscal enemy how to do things better. Just go ahead and destroy us from within with all your Diversity BS, and then sell us out by showing them all our best equipment, training, and tactics. Yeah…..THAT will surely end well.
I am appalled. But then again, I’m just a cynical non-PCer.
Mullen. Good grief.
Is he kidding us? Why have all of our leaders, political and military, sold us down the river? Why is the Navy more concerned with gays and PC diversity circle jerks than being a kick-ass warfighting organization devoted to ocean dominance? If these folks aren’t purposely doing all of this garbage to destroy us from within, I don’t know what they’re doing.
China doesn’t have to worry about these niceties. They just build and build and build while our national “media” wrings its hands over dead or drug-addled Hollywood degenerates and Casey Anthony non-stop coverage. They are preparing for war and we’re worried over a non-existent false “debt ceiling” deadline so our President can spend more money on enriching the very people who will re-elect him in 2012.
I weep. I really do.
…the Chinese reciprocated with a tour of their latest submarine, a close look at an SU-27 jet fighter and a complex counterterrorism exercise.
Why is Admiral Mullen so impressed about being shown an Su-27? We got an up-close and personal look at several of them when they flew into Langley AFB ten years ago.
But maybe he’s unaware that we *own* Su-27s — been flying ‘em for over two years, in fact.
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htintel/20090511.aspx
I’m sure that if Mullen offers to show a USAF GO how a Predator works, the AF will reciprocate and show him an Su-27 — maybe even let him sit in one, if he promises not to touch anything…