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Between September 3rd and September 29th, the US Air Force conducted Exercise Agile Reaper.
The aim was to train its MQ-9 Reaper squadrons to carry out an effective island assault and train to tackle more challenging adversaries such as Russia and China.
The MQ-9 Reaper is proven in the Middle East on strikes on various militant targets.
“It incorporates maritime interdiction capabilities, it incorporates a lot more major contingency operation capabilities, air interdiction,” 29th Attack Squadron Commander Lt. Col. Brian Davis said. “It reinvigorates our strike coordination and reconnaissance capability, and it also increases our combat search and rescue capability.”
The exercise partnered three MQ-9s with the Navy’s Third Fleet, which deploys carrier strike groups, submarines, and other sea vessels and aircraft to the Eastern Pacific, along with Air Force C-130s, and special warfare and Marine Corps personnel, Davis said.
“It’s a demonstration of our capability to rapidly move the MQ-9 anywhere in the world, to unfamiliar locations, and then get out and show the operational reach capabilities of the MQ-9 to provide maritime domain awareness to our joint service partners,” Davis said.
A photograph of these airmen was published by Air Force Magazine on September 24th, and it appears to have angered China.
Click to see full-size image
Why?
Because it features a patch that shows a skeletal Grim Reaper equipped with his traditional scythe, was worn by airmen participating in Agile Reaper, an exercise last month involving three of the drones deployed to Naval Station Point Mugu, Calif., from Holloman Air Force Base, N.M.
“This is an extremely arrogant provocation,” the Global Times, Chinese state outlet said in an article on September 29th. “This is a move to further stir hostilities between Chinese and American societies and an extortion against China. The US military is using the drones and patches to stimulate the imagination and create images of China and the US going to war.”
The newspaper on September 19th posted a video issued by the Chinese air force that showed nuclear-capable H-6 bombers carrying out a simulated attack on what appears to be Andersen Air Force Base on Guam.
The PLAAF video that shows off its H-6K with scenes simulating the bombing of a certain island widely believed to be Guam.https://t.co/OMjSdWWvoV
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) September 20, 2020
But that the US is preparing for potential hostilities with China and/or Russia is no secret.
“Long-term strategic competitions with China and Russia are the principal priorities for the Department [of Defense], and require both increased and sustained investment, because of the magnitude of the threats they pose to U.S. security and prosperity today, and the potential for those threats to increase in the future,” the 2018 National Defense Strategy states.
As recently as February, members of the 18th Aggressor Squadron out of Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, wore red and black patches showing a Soviet-era hammer and sickle over a palm tree while participating in the Cope North drills on Guam.
The aggressors’ mission involves playing the role of enemy air forces during training.
“China will shoot down incoming US warplanes, no matter they are unmanned or manned,” the Global Times warned. “If those planes cause actual damage to Chinese islands and reefs, we will strike the platforms and bases from which those planes take off.”
If Chinese-held islands in disputed South China Sea territory are attacked they will be “turned into a fully operational military base,” the newspaper reported.
Someone discovered that certain scenes in the PLAAF H-6K propaganda video, released on Weibo, were lifted from Hollywood movies. ??
This speaks volumes about China’s respect for intellectual property as well as China’s creativity, or lack thereof. pic.twitter.com/qCkPiPTvUw
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) September 20, 2020
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But these morons from Fashington are trying to assure us that they are fighting for peace and prosperity for all being simply aggressors. Same as neo-fascist regime in Kiev (installed by Washington) poses to be democratic.
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Why the headache? Do the same thing China. Create a similar patch, go to the Californian shores and carry out large military exercises. Carry out simulated attacks on US mainland. Just do the same thing, period. Who says diplomacy is useful when you got a dog running around thinking he is king?
You make the mistake telling China is only there and USA is only there. The world is not like that at all.
I would say China is like a continent, so why should a continent only have one state. I see China trying to expand and You forget others then the chinese are there and many actually are no communists too.
So USA also protect them even they alsotry to dominate them.
…And Japan did attack USA, didnt they…
To be honest, China published a video around a month ago, showing the PLA attacking Guam.
“Do the same thing China. Create a similar patch”
It’s childish and stupid.
Well if you gonna be wise and act all mature then don’t complain. What we forget is that the US can only learn through reciprocity, they think they are exceptional. If they know you can actually hurt them like Iran demonstrated with them missile strikes, they will back down. No place for playing mature here, gets us no where
Fair enough. But if a dog barks on you, you won’t kneel down and bark at it.
China doesn’t have the ability to attack the US mainland with conventional forces. The USA can refuel, repair and resupply right off the Chinese mainland and they have airbases within striking distance from the Chinese mainland.
Maybe in 50 years when China has annexed Hawaii and built up a network of bases in Central America and the Caribbean.
Until then the pacific is a BIG ocean and they would need a hell of a lot of tankers to even launch an exercise off the US mainland and that supply line would go through a Pacific ocean full of US bases.
Looks like those airmen are the finest products of a Common Core State Standard Initiative education system as promoted by Bill ‘dumb-them-down’ Gates.
This patch is drill specific
… but look at the tubby ones, even their military stuff are obese
Russian pilots are not thin either.
Pilots have to be taff to handle G-forces.
The best pilot is short, thick, with a short neck and slightly elavated blood pressure.
No joke.
I know, that’s why they have to intake 5000 kallories daily. Better tell that to your pal I was replying to.
?
Yeah but they are real monsters. I have seen them making absurd ( and high risk ) maneuvers. Hell, one of them was flying in the trail of an IL-76.
Yeah but Americans are badass anyway
China is a Authoritarian dictatorship. They get what they deserve.
Less authoritarian than the U.S. nowdays…
Thats highly incorrect. You must be blind. I see the corona as well as crotics about the police.
Indeed you are.
Get well soon…
The powers that be in the USA would LOVE to be more authoritarian however nearly a century of bullshit and propaganda leaves them with an ungovernable population. Governing the USA today is like herding cats. They can’t tell shit from shinola and now don’t trust science, religion, politics and believe any batshit crazy conspiracy theory that falls their way … it’s not their fault … they’ve been Madison Ave / Wall Street / MIC’s fuck toy for a century. That’ll screw with anyone’s head.
Not even near. Do you think Xi Jinping rules it all? Nope. Dictatorships cannot even exist in such big countries.
There is a ruling class. There is a hierarchy. Decisions are taken at every level. Important decisions are taken by a group of people ( the CCP in China ).
Yea …. they sure got what they deserve ….. they are thriving with a growing economy and the USA’s economy is falling off a cliff with half the white house sick with a deadly virus out of pure stupidity, ignorance and mis-management..
Trumps virus is likely fake. This is just a stunt to raise compliance. Some Senators are “sick” too.
The best administered government in the world with an almost eliminated poverty, no hunger and no homeless. The US is the opposite.
China can blow the US stuff up on Guam, Diego Garcia and Okinawa just with their modern ballistic missiles. There is nothing USA can do to “defeat” Chinese in the west/east China sea. USA also has such long supply line to the South East Asia theatre. Now we heard China is buying all the oil Iran can produce and are developing their fields so they are preparing for long blockade scenarios as well.
Far out comment.
Exactly. The USA have the forces to strike at China but not to sustain a war. The US strategy hasn’t changed since WW ….. Overwhelming air and naval strike capabilities. All China / Russia have to do is outrange US weapons and they negate those capabilities. The only “winning” card the USA has left is nuclear war.
And they have pretty decent anti ship cruise missiles nowadays as well to equip new attack submarines:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YJ-18
Russia’s subs will hunt them down.
Carry hypersonic weapons.
Not much of a winner, Russia has more nukes, and it’s hypersonic weapons. These baby’s have no analog.
Is it wise to pick a fight with a military with weapons that can’t be defended against ?
China has the manpower to walk right over any US/NATO forces it’s military might encounter, and EU, and US.
Just like they did in Korea.
Once you get to the point where a nuclear war is the only way of “winning” a war you’ve lost.
No one comes out ahead in a nuclear war. No political impasse can be solved by nuking a peer …. all you are doing is admitting you’ve lost and now your upsetting the board and you’re taking all of us with you.
The cursed Yankees have moved on, they have already won the first phase of the war, that of the patches, let them go like this and soon they will discover how stupid and harmful to them all this antics.
In a show of force out from a position of strength. We refuse Chinese food stamps and noodle soup kitchens and we as Americans have the right to fight for our way of living!
??
Thats right. I think many would like it a little more, if they were a little more sober.
Though free food stamps for poor people is not a bad idea.
We sure do. We won’t have shit but peacemakers if we don’t start fighting our enemy very soon.
China is not our enemy.
Russia is not our enemy.
Iran is not our enemy.
You don’t recognise our enemy.
Who would care about this?
I sure as hell didn’t and I still don’t care. What is the point, they can’t even come close to China and Russia show American shithead the fighter.
“This is an extremely arrogant provocation” it is extremely moronic*. Let American fuker dream and die.
Using Ranger’s words: Chinese trolls will cry and rage :)
?
Proven…
Sure against third world countries whom cant shoot back.
Try a peer adversary….
Than we can talk.
Using skulls on patches Always gives me a bad vibe…
Maybe Operation Paperclip wasnt such a stellar idea…
Symbol of SS “Totenkopf” (dead head) division.
Bingo.
Guess from where they got it from…
Skull and Bones society…
May be, or may be not. It’s ancient symbol, Adam’s head (not jolly Roger). There is flag with it and moto: Orthodoxia or death. Which means “I will stay a christian till my death”. Fanatos – death in greek language. It has the same root with “fanatics” and “fans”. Nazis stole many christian symbols (“Got mit uns”, crosses at armor), being occult neo-pagans (new-age) in reality with indian swastica and torch marches instead religious procession. Ukros loves marching with torches as their grandpa Adolf bequeathed.
Indeed, and uncle bandera…
“Cyber-hundred” of hohols with cyber-Taras.
?
These clowns can’t or wont even stop some rocket attacks in iraq, can’t or wont even attack iran, and they think they can scare China, what a bunch of fucking jokes
Traditionally China is good in hostile rhetoric.