When these missiles first came out I discounted the threat.
But think about it.
At this very minute the Chinese could have a couple dozen waiting off shore at any time within range of our bases in San Diego, or Hawaii or wherever you see US Navy ships. International trade and shipping have bright lines in the US. With our enemies not so much. Container ships could be used for preemptive strikes. Land forces could easily come under attack from areas that were unexpected because all intelligence indicated in the area were a few merchant ships.
If the Club K were used creatively and to maximum effect it could prove to be one of the most devastating weapons on the planet.
This missile could herald an age of unrestricted warfare like we've never seen. Answer this for me. How do you conduct precision strikes on a target when its effectively camo'ed up to look like the same container that is used to ship over Nike running shoes?
The Chinese rely on container ships as a vital part of their economy. They use a few as weapons and soon they'll all be treated as hostile and China's lifeline to resources, and exports come crashing down around it. When they have massive amounts of conventional forces why would they risk bringing civilian traffic into conflict too unless we're talking about total unrestricted warfare, which we know with powers like the US and China could and would only end in total destruction.
ReplyDeleteThink non-state agents. Say, the Russian mafia. Or some internal faction at "war" with another one using... not even the States. Imagine one of the Chinese agencies in charge of this and that Defence side sending a container missile from an Iranian-flag ship unto Tel Aviv.
ReplyDeleteYippee!
Take care.
Not sure how this is any more deadly or "game changing" than a couple Oscar IIs with nuclear armed P-700s sitting off the Virgina coast. Consider the decapitation they could have delivered much quicker than any ICBM/SLCM attack.
ReplyDeleteit also puts civilians at far greater risk than ever before. if we are operating near a major port and hundreds of these containers are around, how do we know which ones are inert and those that are weapons? we would either have to accept the risk and risk losing ships in our fleet or take out the containers possibly causing alot of casualties and trashing the port we might need for further operations or if helping insurgent forces when they capture it will take reconstruction longer than ever before. also civilian cargo ships operating near our fleets on the oceans we will have to watch out for as well. very scary.
ReplyDeletejoe and shugusha.
ReplyDeleteyou guys nailed it. if this falls into the hands of a crimminal or terrorist organization or a rogue government element then it could destabilize world trade.
thats the point. i don't know how tight controls are on weapons like these but they're a threat to the global economy if used to max effect.
Out of interest, whats the aiming mechanism on one of these things?
ReplyDeleteI agree with the other comments.
ReplyDeleteIts scary at first, but look at it from the beginning.
They could work, but an SSGN would be seriously scarier.
Or even conventionally armed ballistics.
And its militarizing something china needs as much, if not more than the US, and something the US can interdict FAR more effectively.
Lets face it, China could invade Taiwan, delay a US relief force long enough for the fight to be over, and hand the US a fait accompli.
The US either accepts, or ignites a full scale war.
Is the US going to do that?
Well, probably not, see Georgia.
If China uses Merchant ships to sink 30 ships in dry dock, that already is a full scale war, and the first action the US takes is going to be to declare china under blockade, and announce that any merchant ships docking in china will be assumed armed, and will be seized or sunk without warning or recompense.
Chinas merchant ships will be locked in port, or sank, everyone elses will steam away from china.
China imports oil, and quite amazingly, "Organic chemicals" (fertiliser) makes it into the top 6.
Shut those off, and people start to die, fast.
Should probably mention, they are a food importer even before we take away their tractors and fertilisers.
Whats Chinas response?
Dig in and suffer half a billion dead?
The upper levels of the CCP might be ok with that, cant imagine the peasants will be.
Eventualy, there only option becomes to accept whatever surrender if offered, and historically, you dont get a good deal when you were a very naughty boy, see versailes, or the partition of germany.