Beijing Goes Global: China to Expand Marine Force

(PLA Navy Frigate Yueyang. Photo by MC Specialist 1st Class Shannon Renfroe, Wikimedia Commons

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Hereunder article from Daniel Lang tells of an interesting topic about the strategic plan of the Chinese government to expand its military clout worldwide. China's People's Liberation Army (Navy) is going global. With its adventurous island-grabbing in West Philippine Sea, PLA (N) is now making its presence in Africa. 

So, from constructing an airstrip on a reclaimed area in Spratly Islands, the Chinese is now building a navy installation about four miles from Camp Lemonnier--United States' military base of Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa. 

In my book The Zhongguo Orchestra, I have discussed China's long-term objective of displacing the United States as the primary global power; and with the PLA increasing its military budget and expanding its armed forces, the Chinese keep the American military planners in Pentagon glued on their drawing tables as they strategize to counter the looming threat from Beijing.

Below is Lang's article.  

For most of its recent history, China has largely been a land power with no significant naval capabilities. They haven’t been able to exert much military influence beyond their coastline for hundreds of years. In fact, one of the reasons why Western powers had no trouble bullying China during the 19th and 20th centuries, was because the Imperial Navy under the Qing dynasty was incredibly weak. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that lately, China has been putting a lot of effort into building an effective overseas naval force. 

                                                                                         

Not only have they been busy constructing their first combat-ready aircraft carrier, the Chinese have also been developing new aircrafts to accompany it. Of course, a navy can’t really exert much military influence if it doesn’t have soldiers to deploy. That’s why Chinese officials have recently announced that they are preparing to rapidly expand the ranks of the People’s Liberation Army Marine Corps.

Chinese media is reporting the People’s Liberation Army’s ambitious new plans following the announcement of a 7 per cent increase to $AU200 billion in defence spending last week. Among the details to emerge is a move to boost China’s marine corps — highly trained and well equipped troops intended for rapid deployment and offensive missions launched from the sea — from an existing 20,000 troops to more than 100,000.

Chinese officials have stated this is to protect arterial maritime trade routes and enforce its growing overseas interests.

“What growing overseas interests” you might ask? Well, China has been in the process of building their first overseas military base in Djibouti, on the Horn of Africa. And that base is expected to be completed this summer.

Marine Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, commander of AfriCom, told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he expected the Chinese base on the Horn of Africa to be operational later this summer. Without getting specific, Waldhauser said he recently met with Djibouti’s President Ismail Omar Guelleh “and expressed our concerns about some of the things that are important to us about what the Chinese should not do at that location.”

The Chinese base would be about four miles from the U.S. base at Camp Lemonnier, one of the Pentagon’s largest and most important foreign military installations, where about 3,000 U.S. military personnel and contractors are assigned to Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

Given that base’s close proximity to Camp Lemonnier, China’s intentions are obvious. They want what the United States has, which is a vast overseas empire, and an expeditionary force that can reach any coastline in the world. They want to compete with our current role in the global theater. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough room in the world for two countries carrying out that role. We may very well be witnessing the first stages of a new conflict between the United States and China.

  

(Authored by Daniel Lang, Beijing Goes Global: China to Expand Marine Force by 400%; First Overseas Military Base Almost Complete, March 17, 2017. From SHTFplan.com)

Personal Security Measures: A Guide on How to Live and Work Safely in Abroad (Part 1)

(Image courtesy of Pixabay)

     On January 2016, the US Department of State had issued seven travel alerts and warnings for the Americans who are going to Mexico, El Salvador, Haiti, Uganda, Sudan, Niger, and Burkina Faso. The USDOS advised the travelers of the risks they would encounter in these countries. Tourists are even cautioned to consider not going at all or to postpone their plans to a later date.

     Accordingly, the reasons for issuing the notification was due to “unstable government, civil war, ongoing intense crime or violence, or frequent terrorist attacks.”  The announcement also mentioned of “an election season that is bound to have many strikes, demonstrations, or disturbances; a health alert like an outbreak of H1N1; or evidence of an elevated risk of terrorist attacks.” On both publications, the USDOS pointed out the possible terrorist attack. This kind of threat would intensify as the years go by notably with the expanding clout of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in the Middle East, and the al-Qaeda (AQ) in the African continent.

     For the American tourists, they can always forego their vacation plans and depart when the security condition in their destinations changed for good. This could also be said for those company executives who are on a planned business trip. But for those expatriates living overseas, they do not have the luxury of altering their schedules; instead, they will need to raise the level of their security awareness to protect themselves and their household from physical harm.

     Executives of multinational corporations would be the most likely targets of criminal and terroristic acts, not only for financial gains but also for political objectives because they are construed as conduits of so-called American imperialism.

     One of the critical assets of a corporation is its personnel—primarily the managers or those assigned on sensitive assignments. As such, appropriate attention must be given to the safety and protection of the executives and their families, particularly in high-risk countries where crimes are rampant and where terrorist groups operate unabated.

     The security operation is of universal application, but some techniques may need to be applied to address the threat condition. A security precaution required for a given situation would depend mostly on the nature of the threats, which could be assessed on several factors. 

     So, in this article, I am going to outline the Personal Security Measures that you--the American expatriate--could apply to mitigate your risk of becoming a victim of criminal or terrorist group. I will discuss the precautionary security measures you can take while in the field, in the office, and at home. These guidelines come in the simple Do’s and Don’ts, which are uncomplicated that you and your family members can perform daily.

     As a caveat, the security measures presented herein should serve as guides only, as no one is more concerned with the protection of your well-being than yourself. So, the greater the security awareness you put into the task, the greater the degree of your safety will be. Remember, even the professional security practitioners find it hard to stay on full-security alert on a 24-hour basis. As such, it is crucial for you to identify and recognize vulnerable situations when traveling to work, staying at home, or even doing recreational activities with your family. For instance, you might be defenseless when pumping gas in a local station, opening the door to callers, or traveling on a deserted highway. It is, therefore, important to always be on the lookout and not to lower your guard down.

     Remember, attackers operate using the element of surprise, and if you take that component away from them, the criminals or terrorists will find you operating on higher ground, if not leveling the threat to a manageable degree.

     The following are basic personal security guidelines that lay down the foundation on the Do’s and Don’ts that I am going to discuss in the succeeding chapters. These guiding principles are:

            

     1. Always be alert to the suspicious conduct of person/s around you, in the vicinity of your home, or near your office.

     2. Always be sensitive to the areas of threat arising from your personal dealings, as well as those resulting from your official business. Inform your immediate superior, staff (who should be aware of the situation), and family members.   Report the threat to the police at once either by phone or in person.

     3. Always remember that an attack would succeed if the perpetrator caught you unaware. If you were on guard, the attacker would stop and think twice. This brief interval is precious, as it will give you time to take evasive actions or call for assistance.

     4.  Summon for help at the first sign of danger when something is about to happen or when the act is occurring. Shout, sound the motor horn or blow the whistle to call the attention of the people around you! When you can’t do this yourself, tell your family or friends to sound the alarm.

     5. Always remember that raising the alarm is an effective means of slowing or hindering the perpetrator from pressing on his attack.

     6. If you and your family plan to go out of town in a period of days, inform your trusted neighbor or friend in the community to look after your house. Have your lookout call you and/or call the police when they see unusual activities happening in and around your house.                            

     7. While traveling to work and going back to home, make sure not to establish observable patterns that would enable a potential attacker to predict your future movements, construct an attack-plan based on it, intercept you in conditions unfavorable to you, or isolate you from summoning assistance.

     8. Only provide an interview or conduct a business transaction with a properly accredited person in the office during the business hours, or in the presence of your staff or trusted person.

     9. While on the field, you must not stay overnight in a place or in conditions that would isolate you from persons able to provide help or summon assistance.                            

   10. When attending social functions, be cautious on your conversations with the locals and with expatriates of other countries. If your position in the company is sensitive in nature, do not disclose anything about your official functions/duties, particularly to the publishers of commercial or social directories. You may not know who among the guests are working for the criminal or terrorist group.

     Please bear in mind that your family and household staff may, at any given time, also be the target of the criminal or terrorist group. So, the Personal Security Measures I am going to share on this blog apply to them as well.

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Personal Security Measures: A Guide on How to Live and Work Safely in Abroad (Part 2)

(Photo courtesy of Pixabay)

     The desire to stay alive is innate in human behavior. This inherent conduct is true even for animals, like the mother Hen securing herself and her chicks from the predacious Hawk hovering in the sky.  Self-preservation is a natural instinct, and it is an intrinsic part of human’s defense mechanism.  
     Although I don’t subscribe to Darwinism, yet the philosophy of “survival of the fittest and the elimination of the unfit” applies to personal security. If you live in a high-risk country, you are vulnerable to attack--not only against your personal being but also of your family and your property. Thus, the best defense against the malefactors is to keep yourself and your family protected even at home. 
     Remember what Sir Edward Coke said in The Institutes of the Laws of England in 1628? Coke declared, "For a man's house is his castle, and each man's home is his safest refuge." This adage has no time expiration. It was a spot-on maxim centuries ago, and it is still true even today. 
     In the olden days, a King would order his royal guards to keep a vigil in the towers to protect the castle from invaders, and at times, he would instruct the gatekeepers to raise the drawbridge to prevent the enemies from gaining access to the castle. This same security philosophy is applicable today, and even without the luxury of having a regiment of royal guards at your disposal, you can protect everyone at home using simple steps as outlined below.
     The following are necessary home-safety measures that you can use in securing your house and safeguarding your family from intrusions. Remember, the guidelines below are adaptable to various settings—whether you live in rural area or in urban center.

Do’s

     1.    Fit locks to outer doors. Ideally, exterior doors should be of solid construction. If the doors have glass fixtures, cover the doors with blinds or curtains from the inside.
     2.   Know where you keep the door keys.
     3.   Use strong chains or bars on outer doors and gates.
     4.  Check visitors through a peephole or from adjacent windows before opening the door.
     5. Fit window locks on ground-floor windows and on any windows on upper floors, especially those hidden from the view of the passers-by.  Any openings/windows not normally used can be permanently secured by screwing the window to the frame.
     6.  Hang a non-see-through curtain in rooms commonly used by the family.
     7.  Light the approaches to your house and garage. Make sure the exterior lights are placed out of reach. Check the lighting system from time to time. A time-delayed type of system is ideal.
     8.  Leave a porch light on or in the area of the front door during hours of darkness. A motion-detector lights are excellent in the yards.
     9.  Always have reserve lighting equipment available in your home, such as flashlights, candles, and hand lamps. Make sure you have spare batteries. A cheap gasoline-powered generator is ideal if you live in the suburb.
   10.  Consider also the use of other types of security lighting system for use in emergency situations. Lights placed at strategic points make it difficult for the attackers to hide in the shadows or behind the shrubberies.