US Authorizes Preparations for War with China?

By C. J. Refsland on July 22, 2013 • ( 0 )

My comment: I don’t know if this is true or speculation, but I’ve noticed lately how the news seems to follow the prophecies of the Bible. While reading this one a passage in Daniel ran through my mind like neon lights. Especially given the news lately about Russia’s preparations for war and their training excercises with China. I still believe that Turkey, plays a major role in the end times, as an islamic antichrist will emerge from this new kingdom, and mix with the 4th beast that Daniel speaks of. But obama has done so much to bring this about it’s scary. Now in Daniel Chapter 11 verse 40, when he is speaking about the time of the end he says he will invade many countries and sweep through them like a whirlwind. The uprisings in Egypt and surrounding nations are indeed like a whirlwind. But he will overwhelm them. He shall enter the glorious land (Israel) and many countries shall be overthrown but these shall escape from his hand: Edom, Moab and the prominent people of Ammon. Egypt shall not escape. He will have power over their treasures of gold and silver and the precious things of Egypt. Now here is the part that sticks out: But news from the east and the north shall trouble him, therefore he shall go out with great fury to destroy and annihilate many. And he shall plant the tents of his palace between the seas and the glorious Holy mountain. Yet he shall come to his end, and no one will help him. Boy that to me is like reading the news. If China and Russia are threatening war like it seems. Reading the book of Daniel is like reading the newspaper. Especially with obama and kerry planting themselves in Jerusalem with intent to divide it and control it. It’s time to prepare!

(PakAlert Press) The Pentagon has concluded that the time has come to prepare for war with China, and in a manner well beyond crafting the sort of contingency plans that are expected for wide a range of possible confrontations. It is a momentous conclusion that will shape the United States’ defense systems, force posture, and overall strategy for dealing with the economically and militarily resurgent China. Thus far, however, the military’s assessment of and preparations for the threat posed by China have not received the high level of review from elected civilian officials that such developments require. The start of a second Obama administration provides an opportunity for civilian authorities to live up to their obligations in this matter and to conduct a proper review of the United States’ China strategy and the military’s role in it.

The U.S. Military /Civilian Relationships in Facing China

The United States is preparing for a war with China, a momentous decision that so far has failed to receive a thorough review from elected officials, namely the White House and Congress. This important change in the United States’ posture toward China has largely been driven by the Pentagon. There have been other occasions in which the Pentagon has framed key strategic decisions so as to elicit the preferred response from the Commander in Chief and elected representatives. A recent case in point was when the Pentagon led President Obama to order a high level surge in Afghanistan in 2009, against the advice of the Vice President and the U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan. The decision at hand stands out even more prominently because (a) the change in military posture may well lead to an arms race with China, which could culminate in a nuclear war; and (b) the economic condition of the United States requires a reduction in military spending, not a new arms race. The start of a new term, and with it the appointment of new secretaries of State and Defense, provide an opportunity to review the United States’ China strategy and the military’s role in it. This review is particularly important before the new preparations for war move from an operational concept to a militarization program that includes ordering high-cost weapons systems and forced restructuring. History shows that once these thresholds are crossed, it is exceedingly difficult to change course.

In the following pages I first outline recent developments in the Pentagon’s approach to dealing with the rise of China; I then focus on the deliberations of the highest civilian authorities. These two sides seemed to operate in parallel universes, at least until November 2011 when the pivot to Asia was announced by the White House—though we shall see their paths hardly converged even after that date. I conclude with an outline of what the much-needed civilian review ought to cover.

I write about the “Pentagon” and the “highest civilian authorities” (or our political representatives) rather than contrast the view of the military and that of the civilian authorities, because the Pentagon includes civilians, who actively participated in developing the plans under discussion. It is of course fully legitimate for the Pentagon to identify and prepare for new threats. The question that this article raises is whether the nextlevel of government, which reviews such threats while taking into account the input of the intelligence community and other agencies (especially the State Department), has adequately fulfilled its duties. Have the White House and Congress properly reviewed the Pentagon’s approach—and found its threat assessment of China convincing and approved the chosen response? And if not, what are the United States’ overarching short- and long-term political strategies for dealing with an economically and militarily rising China?