The Korean crisis demonstrates the need for a strong United States Navy

The Daily Caller

In response to North Korea’s unprovoked and brutal artillery attack on a South Korean fishing village earlier this week, President Obama did what American presidents have done for over half a century — he dispatched a carrier strike group to the crisis zone. The USS George Washington and its escort ships will patrol the Yellow Sea to reassure our Korean allies and serve notice upon North Korea that it is within reach of American naval airpower. Such an option may not be available to Mr. Obama’s successors, however, if the administration’s deep cuts to the Navy’s shipbuilding budget continue.

Click to read more ...

Is This the End of the Royal Navy?

CBS News

It is hard to tell at this point the biggest winner from this week’s decimation of the UK Ministry of Defense and slashing of the Royal Navy’s budget. British Navy chiefs are confirming that after losing their only current carrier at the end of this year, HMS Ark Royal, the UK will not have a fully operational aircraft carrier until 2036. After the devastating cuts, the British Navy will be at its smallest size since the time of Henry VIII and will be roughly half the size of the current French Navy.

Click to read more ...

US admiral tries to reassure on Chinese naval build-up

The Australian Conservative

It was good to see that Admiral Roughead was in Australia this week meeting with America’s closest war-fighting ally over the past century. As he was there to reassure our Pacific partner, Roughead projected confidence by noting that the Chinese aircraft carrier threat in the Pacific would take years to develop as carrier operational skills are not learned overnight.

Click to read more ...

Welcome to the UNGA

The Daily Caller

My 13-year-old son, who is far more interested in sports than politics, walked into the family room yesterday and said: “Dad, I saw on the news that the thing is starting when all the dictators come to America and give speeches about how bad we are.” His statement is one of the better descriptions of the United Nations General Assembly (the UNGA) that I have ever heard.

Click to read more ...

Australia must act to help protect the Pacific from Chinese dominance

Australian Conservative

The world is taking note of China’s claim that the country has “indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea” and that the Yellow Sea is “pivotal to China’s core interests”. With such profound assertions made officially by government spokesmen – backed by a massive naval build up, the deployment of supposed “carrier killer” super missiles and aggressive tactics such as ramming and harassing foreign naval and coast guard ships in the South China Sea – demonstrate China’s apparent strategy to seize control of over a million square miles of the Pacific Ocean.

Click to read more ...