The Pentagon added that the United States Navy will not be told by Beijing where they can or cannot operate. "We reserve the right to exercise in international waters anywhere in the world," declared Rear Admiral Daniel Cloyd, who headed the U.S.exercises.
Emerging military superpower
As China has risen into the ranks of an emerging superpower, so has its military. Better armed, better trained, the Chinese navy is seeking to extend its influence across more of the region. And that region is rapidly expanding. Virtually each of the last 20 years China has funneled more and more money into its military forces and weaponry. China has maintained a stunning double-digit growth rate in military expenditures for all of those two decades.
US Navy no longer 'rules the waves'
Toshi Yoshihara, an associate professor at the U.S. Naval War College asserts that now "China can reach out and hit the U.S. well before the U.S. can get close enough to the mainland to hit back." China has maneuvered itself into a position where it can threaten and deter US action. The US has only faced such a situation during the action in the Pacific against the Japanese during WWII and when facing down the Soviet threat during the Cold War.
Considering the implications and significant threat of China's new generation of carrier-killing missiles, Yoshihara foresees the possibility that they "could have an enduring psychological effect on U.S. policymakers. It underscores more broadly that the U.S. Navy no longer rules the waves as it has since the end of World War II. The stark reality is that sea control cannot be taken for granted anymore."
US power in the region is gradually being eclipsed.
Original article click here
Copyright AYM Communications. 2010
Sources
Background on Dong Feng 21 missile series
Chinese 'Carrier-Killer' Missile Could Reshape Sea Combat - Fox News
click here
Chinese missile could shift Pacific power balance" - The Hindu
click here
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