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US Asks Vietnam To Stop Russian Bomber Refueling Flights From Cam Ranh Air Base
HughPickens.com writes Reuters reports that the United States has asked Vietnam to stop letting Russia use its former US base at Cam Ranh Bay to refuel nuclear-capable bombers engaged in shows of strength over the Asia-Pacific region. General Vincent Brooks, commander of the U.S. Army in the Pacific, says the Russian bombers have conducted "provocative" flights, including around the U.S. Pacific Ocean territory of Guam, home to a major American air base. Brooks said the planes that circled Guam were refueled by Russian tankers flying from the strategic bay, which was transformed by the Americans during the Vietnam War into a massive air and naval base. Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed that the airport at Cam Ranh was first used for staging Il-78 tankers for aerial refueling of Tu-95MS bombers in January 2014. Asked about the Russian flights in the region, the State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Washington respected Hanoi's right to enter agreements with other countries but added that "we have urged Vietnamese officials to ensure that Russia is not able to use its access to Cam Ranh Bay to conduct activities that could raise tensions in the region."
Cam Ranh is considered the finest deepwater shelter in Southeast Asia. North Vietnamese forces captured Cam Ranh Bay and all of its remaining facilities in 1975. Vietnam's dependence on Russia as the main source of military platforms, equipment, and armaments, has now put Hanoi in a difficult spot. Russia has pressed for special access to Cam Ranh Bay ever since it began delivering enhanced Kilo-class submarines to Vietnam. "Hanoi is invariably cautious and risk adverse in its relations with the major powers," says Carl Thayer. "The current issue of Russian tankers staging out of Cam Ranh pits Russia and China on one side and the United States on the other. There is no easy solution for Vietnam."
Cam Ranh is considered the finest deepwater shelter in Southeast Asia. North Vietnamese forces captured Cam Ranh Bay and all of its remaining facilities in 1975. Vietnam's dependence on Russia as the main source of military platforms, equipment, and armaments, has now put Hanoi in a difficult spot. Russia has pressed for special access to Cam Ranh Bay ever since it began delivering enhanced Kilo-class submarines to Vietnam. "Hanoi is invariably cautious and risk adverse in its relations with the major powers," says Carl Thayer. "The current issue of Russian tankers staging out of Cam Ranh pits Russia and China on one side and the United States on the other. There is no easy solution for Vietnam."
Hmmm... that won't happen.
I'm not even going to get into the why of that or bother justifying anything. I'm just going to point out that from a purely pragmatic position... if you were counting on that happening, you are in for a long wait.
As to the "brutal US war machine"... Is there an "effective' war machine that isn't brutal? That's sort of the whole point.
I think there are misconceptions about the point of war in the first place. You don't go to foreign lands with soldiers to give them candy-grams.
Furthermore if you really want to start judging the US, I'm going to insist that you compare us against a peer nation and show that we are worse then them in some respect.
So... that would be hegemonic powers.
You can compare us against the British Empire, the Soviets, the Holy Roman Empire, the ancient Roman empire, the old Chinese Empire, the Moguls, the Ottoman Empire etc. Big powers only please.
Too many of the moral comparisons are apples and oranges in that they'll try to compare the US against Switzerland or something. That's silly.
Word to the wise, I've had this discussion many times and I don't lose it. It would be awesome of if you had new information or a new argument and could surprise me, but that rarely happens at this point. This is a well rehearsed dance for me. I know where you're going to move before you go there... and I've put rhetorical landmines all over the place.
Fair warning. ;-)
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
The only thing that will get us out of this mode will be an attack on our soil that will force us to savage our opponent so that no other rival thinks that our territory can be struck without a lethal response
They can whip up a false flag any old time, or go all FBI and just encourage and equip some terrorists, and then they get their excuse.
Maybe, but why would the US want to conqueror Vietnam? The only reason we cared about it before was to try to slow Soviet expansion. That, and the US was still stuck in island-hopping mode a bit from WWII.
After Vietnam the US learned its lesson and just did what the USSR did in Vietnam - give tons of guns to the locals and turn it into a huge war of attrition. That is why everybody who used to be in the USSR has fond memories of Afghanistan.
I don't think the US really has any strategic interests there any longer.
In any case, the US really does seem to be fairly war-fatigued these days. Sure, Bush II would probably have been reluctant to go into Ukraine, but you can bet that there would be a huge deployment against ISIS back in that era. Now the US is more eager to let the Iraqis take care of themselves, and everybody is probably somewhat better off for it.
That sort of thing really doesn't happen.
I know of three possible examples and they're all highly suspect.
You have the attack on the Maine which is alleged to have been sabotaged by American forces wanting to justify the Spanish American war, you have Pearl harbor which is alleged to have been intentionally allowed to happen by FDR, and you have the gulf of tonkin which is sort of a tragedy of errors.
I've decided to stop wasting my time responding to AC trolls/sockpuppets... so if you want a response from me... login.
Simply remind the US that you kicked their asses and took that base fair and square and that if they have a problem with it, they are free to come back over and have their "operation freedom" shoved up their ass all over again
You're a bit confused about the facts. The US kicked North Vietnam's ass repeatedly which is why they signed the peace treaty. After the North Vietnamese agreed to peace the US withdrew from South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese then invaded since the people that kept kicking their ass had left.
The North Vietnamese didn't take the base "fair and square." They lied, broke a peace treaty, engaged in a war of aggression by invading South VIetnam, and terribly abused the people of South Vietnam in addition to abusing the people of North Vietnam. Ever hear of their "reeducation camps"? Or the boat people?
As to having ""operation freedom" shoved up their ass," that didn't work out so well for either Saddam or Bin Laden, did it? Or were you confused on that point?
If you think it is the US "raising most of the tensions in the "region"", you don't know what you are talking about. Try the Chinese, who are threatening their neighbors and making claims on their territory.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell