Russia and China Looking To Develop Military Edge Over U.S.

By Tom Olago July 21, 2016 Share this article:

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As if the United States doesn't have enough to worry about, it's becoming increasingly clear that her greatest military competitors - Russia and China - are increasing their relative warfare capabilities fast and gaining the competitive advantage.

Worse still is that hostilities against the U.S by these two military giants are also escalating dangerously. Is the U.S in danger of being on the receiving end of a 'double whammy' from Russia and China? Events as of mid July suggest that the possibility isn't far-fetched and could actually trigger World War III, according to pundits.

As Mac Slavo for shtfplan.com recently noted, the U.S. is backing up its positions with an ever-increasing presence of warships in the South China Sea. China is very touchy about these territories, and unwilling to give up what they perceive as their waters, even as a UN tribunal just denied their claims and strengthened the U.S. hand.

Slavo describes the entire situation as "combustible and very dangerous".

The U.S., citing the territorial dispute and security concerns raised by its allies in the region, has for months been sending warships into the South China Sea as a check against Chinese hegemony.

Beijing, acutely aware of the military buildup off its coast, has publicly warned the U.S. that it's more than ready to defend against provocations. It seems that the conflict is being deliberately stoked, and tensions are programmed to reach a boiling point. If true, there is no indication of where the point of no return would be. 

 

Now, there is not only an escalation but an acknowledgement on both sides of the Pacific that things are headed towards war, and it is being openly discussed in those stark terms.

Even influential billionaire George Soros cautioned that the potential danger of WWIII breaking out with China was 'not an exaggeration' and could lead to a military alignment with Russia:

"The US government has little to gain and much to lose by treating the relationship with China as a zero-sum game. In other words, it has little bargaining power. It could, of course, obstruct China's progress, but that would be very dangerous.  This could lead China to align itself with Russia not only financially but also politically and militarily. 

In that case, should the external conflict escalate into a military confrontation with an ally of the United States such as Japan, it is not an exaggeration to say that we would be on the threshold of a third world war", Soros forewarned.

If war should break out (and some notable experts believe that it's much more a question of when)  the U.S. is likely to find out first-hand just how prepared both China and Russia really are. Another analysis from shtfplan.com a month, and attributed to Jeremiah Johnson, bears out this assertion. 

Johnson cautioned that, along with the mounting tensions between the United States and China in the Pacific, and the United States and Russia in the Atlantic, comes a steady buildup of submarines in both respective theaters of naval combat. 

The Russians have been accomplishing a great deal in stealth technology, especially with Kilo-class boats converted into stealth subs.  Dubbed "the black holes of the Russian Navy," these quiet refitted diesel subs with stealth technology are starting to roll steadily off of the assembly lines.

The Chinese are also upgrading their submarine fleet from a technological perspective (the boat) while making improvements in their missile systems.  Such actions come on the heels of American positioning in the Pacific.  Now the Chinese are ready to unveil submarines in the Pacific that will be armed with nuclear missiles.  

Meanwhile in the Atlantic, the Russians are by no means being complacent with their submarine fleet.  The Commander of the U.S. 6th Fleet recently wrote a paper outlining this increased Russian activity in the Atlantic.  An excerpt from that document reportedly characterizes the Vice-Admiral's viewpoint of the Russian submarine activity:

"Once again, an effective, skilled, and technologically advanced Russian submarine force is challenging us. Russian submarines are prowling the Atlantic, testing our defenses, confronting our command of the seas, and preparing the complex underwater battlespace to give them an edge in any future conflict.

  

Not only have Russia's actions and capabilities increased in alarming and confrontational ways, its national security policy is aimed at challenging the United States and its NATO allies and partners," Vice Admiral James Foggo III warned.

The Russians have also reportedly been developing drone submarines.

Johnson concluded that "... The submarines are definitely a force to be reckoned with, and as we hem both China and Russia into corners, we provide them with the impetus to continue the buildup of their submarine fleets and deployment of those fleets into areas where they will be most effective if hostilities break out".

Sputniknews.com reported that Russia is also developing a sixth-generation jet designed to fire nuclear warheads from outer space. According to the Russian commander of the Strategic Missile Forces (SMF), Lt. Col. Aleksei Solodovnikov:

"The idea is that the bomber will take off from a normal home airfield to patrol Russian airspace. Upon command it will ascend into outer space, strike a target with nuclear warheads and then return to its home base," Solodovnikov told RIA Novosti.

He added that the jet will be very capable and will need only one or two hours to reach any place on Earth through outer space. According to futurism.com, the unmanned aircraft will have a supersonic speed of about Mach 4-5 and have its own swarm of drones flying beside it.

Although the jet is not expected to be operational for about 4 - 10 years, it does illustrate Russia's seriousness about securing competitive military advantage. The U.S, in parallel, is also working on sixth-generation fighter designs after the introduction of the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor and F-35 Joint Strike Fighter fifth-generation aircraft, the latter of which is still in development.

However, there is still a 'clear and present' war danger right now that does not permit us the luxury of waiting for future weapons-in-progress to be released.

Michael Snyder for the economiccollapseblog.com warns that although we aren't hearing much about it in the U.S. media, Chinese president Xi Jinping has reportedly ordered the People's Liberation Army "to prepare for combat" with the United States if the Obama administration presses China to abandon the islands that they are currently occupying in the South China Sea.

This directive follows an international tribunal ruling in The Hague against China's territorial claims in the South China Sea. The Chinese government announced ahead of time that they do not recognize the jurisdiction of the tribunal, and they have absolutely no intention of abiding by the ruling.  Instead, they are becoming even more defiant in its aftermath. 

Meanwhile, the relationship between the United States and Russia continues to go from bad to worse.  The installation of a missile defense system in Romania is just the latest incident that has the Russians absolutely steaming, and during a public appearance on June 17th Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to get western reporters to understand that the world is being pulled toward war:

"We know, year by year, what's going to happen, and they know that we know. It's only you that they tell tall tales to, and you buy it, and spread it to the citizens of your countries. You people in turn do not feel a sense of the impending danger, and this is what worries me. How do you not understand that the world is being pulled in an irreversible direction, while they pretend that nothing is going on. I don't know how to get through to you anymore."

According to Clifford Cunningham in an article for Infowars.com, Russian President Vladimir Putin made this statement after firing nearly 50 senior officers for refusing to confront NATO ships aggressively. In the words of international affairs analyst Peter Coates, "&the Russian Baltic Fleet in April, however, refused to follow such dangerous orders, hence Putin's retaliation against his own naval officers."

The Baltic Fleet, comprised of over 50 warships, including corvettes, destroyers, frigates, landing craft and submarines, is based in Kaliningrad, a Russian enclave situated between NATO members Lithuania and Poland. 

In response to growing tensions, as well NATO military exercises like BALTOPS 2016 simulating an amphibious assault, Putin has fortified Kaliningrad and stationed advanced nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in the enclave.

Although not as well equipped as the Black Sea or Northern Fleets, the Baltic Fleet has taken on greater significance as NATO continues to expand its presence in Poland and the Baltic States, having recently committed to deploy four battalions totaling 3,000 to 4,000 troops into those countries on a rotating basis.

Snyder stated that the Russians have been feverishly updating and modernizing their military in preparation for a potential future conflict with the United States.  He decried the lack of urgency and preparation on the part of the Obama administration.  

Could this be the reason that the United States is not mentioned in Bible Prophecy? Will she have been reduced to insignificance--militarily or otherwise--by the time the final pieces of Bible prophecy fall into place?

Whatever the case, all indications are that the ingredients for a Third World war are fast coming together, to say nothing of the potential drawing-in of a Middle East conflict that would involve Israel. It is a very volatile global mix.