Has PH deployed a PN or PCG vessel to Ayungin waters?

According to Interaksyon, China PLA navy ships and China fishing boats never left Ayungin contradicting an earlier report that the foreign vessels had already left.

My initial reaction is that if Navy can see them, they must be very close to Ayungin - really within our EEZ and perhaps even closer to Ayungin island itself than we imagine, i.e., within 12 nautical mile territorial waters of Ayungin reef on which PH has established a military garrison akin to being "inhabited". 

Off-the-cuff, China PLA Navy's main mission, in all likelihood, is to protect and defend their fishermen from any action by PH Navy ships even as they encroach illegally on our EEZ, even perhaps on our territorial waters. Of course their presence is a form of intimidation tactics too but that is not reason to scare our Navy personnel stationed on Ayungin. The military personnel on Ayungin are made of sterner stuff. 

But the real question is: Has PH deployed a PN or PCG vessel to Ayungin waters?

More off-the-cuff thoughts pertaining to the 12 nautical miles or legal territorial waters of PH by international law:

(1) It is impertive to note that Ayungin island is part of the regime of islands of the Philippines and is so by PH law, i.e., RA 9522 albeit disputed,  hence it falls under PH sovereignty. Moreover, there is an existing military garrison in that island which makes the island inhabited.

(2) Therefore 12 nautical miles from Ayungin baseline is legally PH territorial waters which no other foreign country should be allowed to claim: it is Philippine territory -- full stop. 

(3) A foreign warship, armed to the teeth at that, sailing in those 12 nautical miles of water from Ayungin baseline without invoking right of innoncent passage can be considered an armed invasion of the Philippines.

Take this example: St Pierre Miquelon is an offshore island near Newfoundland belonging to France. Twelve nautical miles from St Pierre Miquelon baseline constitute French legal territorial waters and considered French territory much like Paris is or any provinces situated on the coasts of mainland France. Any armed foreign warship that sails into those 12 nautical miles of St Pierre Miquelon without invoking right of innocent passage will be considered an invasion of France and France has all the right to repel invaders. 

It becomes all the more imperative for PH navy to stay on course -- that is if they are around,  to show that we are not giving up Ayungin and whatever the cost!

REPORT FROM INTERAKSYON  Premature rejoicing - Chinese fishing boats still in Ayungin: 

As proof that the Chinese are still in the reef area which they claim entirely, and over which they recently issued a protest against supposed Philippine incursions, the source explained that “In the vicinity of Ayungin the PLA Navy ship with bow number 83, is still there, along with many fishing bancas. The other PLA Navy ships go back every so often to Ayungin whenever they monitor new movements by the Philippine Navy.”

~~ AdB
For Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims
10 July 2013

Related blog post: DON'T LET CHINA STEAL AYUNGIN REEF

On national integrity and sovereignty: If President Aquino turned from being a generally perceived weakling and moral coward into a fighting leader, would you give him your all out support?

ON THE ISSUE OF NATIONAL INTEGRITY AND SOVEREIGNTY, a question to Philippine patriots and to the community of the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims: 

President NoyNoy Aquino will soon be delivering his State of the Nation Address... If President Noynoy Aquino decides to turned around from being a generally perceived weakling and moral coward in order to face the nation's foreign bullies, and as one member says, 'pounds his fist on the table', and announced that...

"NO nation will succeed in stealing Philippine territory! I am ordering the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard to deploy all available ships to patrol our EEZ, guard our territories, protect and defend them against would-be foreign intruders at all cost... Furthermore, let this be known that I will not tolerate foreign state-sanctioned human rights violations on my people in Sabah..."

Would you let 'bygones be bygones' and give your ALL OUT support to NoyNoy Aquino, i.e., without reservation?

Please answer with either Yes or No... Thank you.

NB: If your answer is "NO" or "NOT SURE", please explain why not? Thank you very much.

NNB: Please feel free to share this post.

By Admins, Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims: 

06 June 2013

To fear mongers in the Philippines: Who is speaking of going to war?

TO THOSE WHO ARE FEAR MONGERING USING THE LINE THAT WE CANNOT DEFEND OUR TERRITORIES BECAUSE OUR MILITARY IS NOT AS POWERFUL AS CHINA's, that every move we make will be construed by China as an act of going to war: But who is speaking of going to war? 

Have you heard that China has the nasty habit of stealing our territories when we are not looking? Has it occured to you that presence, relentless patrolling of our territorial waters is the next best step against China thievery? Mischief Reef was stolen while the Navy was not looking; Scarborough Shoal was stolen when we withdrew our vessels from that EEZ which belongs to PH; Ayungin Reef is now the target of China's greed and iw waiting to pounce on the Reef when they think no one is looking! 

Under your tenet that because we have a little navy, we cannot do anything, what exactly do you then want to do today? To let China run away with our territories? Magdahilan na konti lang ang bangka natin kaya sige, pabayaan na lang ang ating mga territoryo? Sino ang utak biya ngayon? (To reason out that we have few vessels so, alright, just abandon our territories? Who is being fishbrained now?)

If you really want to use your brains, tell yourself that the presence of a couple of Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard ships around our blasted reefs may be the next best deterrence. And you don't goddamn need the most sophisticated frigates for that!  The act of patrolling our territorial seas, our Exclusive Economic Zone or showing that we are keeping an eye on our territories does not mean that we want to go to war!

SO REMEMBER AND THINK: PATROL AND PRESENCE may just be the best deterrence you can afford today before China runs off with the rest of the Kalayaan islands!

And if that is not enough, we are telling you today to review the courage and conviction OF AN EVEN SMALLER NAVY THAT WENT RAMMING AGAINST A MIGHTY FLEET IN DEFENCE OF THEIR EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE! Huwag magdahilan ng kung ano-ano at huwag manakot na dahil sinasabi natin na magmatigas at magsalita ng matapang ay gusto na natin ng gyera. (Don't use just about any pretext to instill fear in the citizenry that we want war just because we here are being firm and are speaking boldly.)

Eto ang tandaan mo AFP na maski marami na tayong mga military assets, hindi din tayo makikipaggyera dahil hindi dapat giyera ang atupagin. Ang dapat atupagin ay maging pursigidong bantayan ang ating mga isla dahil pag walang bantay, diyan dumarating ang mga magnanakaw. (Remember this AFP: that even if we have so many military assets, we will not go to war because war is not what we should be after. What we should be after is to relentlessly guard our other islets because when no one is guarding, that's when thieves come.)

Another thing, even if China sinks one of our vessels doing its job, it won't mean that we will go to war... the world will be against them if they do that! Huwag utak biya, kaya tayo binabababoy ng ibang bansa ay dahil sa takot tayo! Iyan ang tunay na dahilan! (Don't be fishbrained. The reason why other countries are crapping all over us is because we show fear. That's the real reason!)

So to give fearmongers a bit of courage, we are linking here the story of a tiny, weeny, so tiny but brave navy (in fact, a coast guard) that owned less war boats than the Philippine Navy but which went out of its way to challenge and to go "headbutting" against one of the world's greatest navies to uphold their Exclusive Economic Zone (And guess what? They won!):

HMS Mermaid and FPV Baldur during Cod Wars

A photograph of HMS Mermaid and the Icelandic vessel 'FPV Baldur' 

clashing during the Third Cod War, taken on 26th May 1976.

Contrary to what happened in Scarborough where we backed off and gave China the upper hand because we were frightened that our ships might be rammed or sunk, little, tiny, puny but brave Iceland whose population was ONLY 300,000 (against UK's 50 million at the time) did not have any hesitation and faced off with with Britain's mighty Royal Navy in a series of naval confrontations that were called the Cod Wars (less the firing of naval guns). 

The Cod Wars saw Britain deploying a total of 53 British warships during the operations against 7 Icelandic Patrol vessels and a Catalina flying boat.  

The Cod Wars started when in 1972, Iceland unilaterally declared an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending beyond its territorial waters, before announcing plans to reduce overfishing. It policed its quota system with the Icelandic Coast Guard, leading to a series of net-cutting incidents with British trawlers that fished the areas. 

As a result, the Royal Navy deployed warships and tugboats to act as a deterrent against any future harassment of British fishing crews by the Icelandic craft, resulting in direct confrontations between Icelandic patrol vessels and British warships, which included ramming incidents. 

There were numerous ramming incidents between the (UK) Royal Navy and the Icelandic Coast Guard and their trawlers during those Cod Wars. Iceland did not back off in spite of the mighty Royal Navy. 

The latter exercised the renowned naval "follow the rules of the road" tactics at sea and rammed the equally stubborn Icelandic Coast Guard ships. There were NO REAL VIOLENT ARMED confrontations or shootings as in firing of naval guns (other than the cutting of nets, rammed ships and bruised egos) erupted although each one threatened to do it, i.e., fire guns at the other.

Complete story in: China-PH Scarborough Shoal stand off and the UK-Iceland Cod Wars in the North Atlantic

~~ Admins, Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims
27 May 2013

Related read: President Aquino must now draw a line in the sand http://defenders-philippine-sovereignty.blogspot.com/2013/05/president-aquino-must-now-draw-line-in.html

Sound off the alarm: Pirates are coming! China invades Spratlys with so-called fishing flotilla

Folowing the imposition of a 15-nautical mile no entry zone around Scarborough Shoal which is located some 130 nautical miles from Zambales and is found well within the 200-nautical mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Philippines, China launched an offensive yesterday to show virtual control of the Spratlys by sending one of its largest recorded fishing fleets to West Philippine Sea.

The waters in the Spratlys are known to be rich fishing grounds and are believed to contain a vast reservoir of oil and gas. But we are not confident that China is sending a Chinese fishing flotilla to the Spratlys merely to do a bit of fishing. We believe that some of these so-called 'fishing ships' include China PLA Navy elements which they have deployed "to plant" potential military communications or warfare paraphernalia which, in the future or in case of an armed conflict, will help serve as beachhead installations.

Mischief Reef stolen by China
from PH in 1994

We must not to forget that in 1994, while the Philippines was not looking, China invaded Mischief Reef and installed 'sheds' which China leadership pretexted were to be used as shelter for their fishermen.  Before the decade was over, China had transformed Mischief Reef into a sophisticated "listening" outpost and has turned it into a full-pledged military garrison.

Note that China has been aggressively pursuing a militarisation objective in the Spratlys and have been continuosly doing naval warfare exercises in the area that include underwater minelaying. It is a known principle that the country that controls the Spratlys and its waters will also control the sea lanes of communication (SLOCs) which could seriously imperil freedom of navigation for many countries that use those SLOCs.

It is imperative for the Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard to patrol the territorial waters of the Philippine Kalayaan Islands relentlessly to ensure that this latest naval maneuver by China will not go 'overboard' as in invade our inhabited Pag-Asa Island in the Spratlys and the other occupied PH Spratly territories. 

The Philippine Navy and the Coast Guard must put it in their heads that their presence in those waters is a deterrence in itself. 

Forewarned is forearmed! 

~~ By Anne de Bretagne

For the Defenders of the Philippine Sabah and Spratly Claims

07 May 2013

INQUIRER NEWS REPORT: China sends large fleet to disputed Spratlys 

BEIJING—China has sent one of its largest recorded fishing fleets to disputed islands in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), state-run media said on Tuesday, amid tensions over Beijing’s assertion of its claims in the region. 

A flotilla including 30 fishing vessels set sail on Monday for the Spratly Islands, an archipelago disputed between China and other countries including the Philippines and Vietnam, the China Daily reported. 

The fleet left China’s southern province of Hainan for a 40-day trip to the region, the report said, and includes two large transport and supply ships. 

Chinese fishing boats regularly travel to the Spratlys, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan and Brunei, but the fleet dispatched Monday was as large as one described as the biggest ever launched from the province when it set off last year. 

China will make “every effort to guarantee the fleet’s safety,” the report quoted an official from the department of ocean and fisheries as saying. 

China and neighboring countries have long used fishing fleets and maritime patrols to assert their territorial claims, and have upgraded their naval forces in recent years as tensions over claims in the West Philippine Sea have risen. 

The Philippines and Vietnam have complained that China is becoming increasingly aggressive in its actions in the area — such as harassing fishermen — and also through bullying diplomatic tactics. 

The waters around the Spratlys are rich in fishing resources and it is believed they could hold large oil and gas reserves.

OTHER NOTES:

What are the Spratlys? 

According to Wikipedia, The Spratly Islands are a group of more than 750 reefs, islets, atolls, cays and islands in the South China Sea. The archipelago lies off the coasts of thePhilippines and Malaysia (Sabah), about one third of the way from there to southern Vietnam. They comprise less than four square kilometers of land area spread over more than 425,000 square kilometers of sea. The Spratlys are one of three archipelagos of the West Philippine Sea/South China Sea which comprise more than 30,000 islands and reefs...

A BIT OF KALAYAAN ISLANDS/PHILIPPINE SPRATLY ISLANDS HISTORY (from Wikipedia):

The Philippines sent troops to the Spratly group for the first time in 1968. It prioritized large islands such as Pagasa (Thitu) Island, Likas (West York) Island, Parola Island (Northeast Cay), Kota (Loaita) Island, Lawak (Nanshan) Island, and Pugad Island (Southwest Cay). Two small islands, Patag (Flat) Island and Panata Island (Lankiam Cay), were also occupied. Both are less than a hectare in size. 

To further the claim of the Philippines on the island group, the late President Ferdinand Marcos, on June 11, 1978, formally annexed the Kalayaan Islands by virtue of Presidential Decree No.1596 to the Palawan.

December 2012 photo of China attack
submarine being fitted for warfare 

In very early February, we sounded the following alarm:  BEWARE OF YOUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBOORS KEEP UP THE DRUM BEAT FOR SCARBOROUGH SHOAL AND FOR ALL PH ISLANDS IN THE SPRATLYS!

DO NOT FORGET SCARBOROUGH SHOAL... KEEP UP THE DRUM BEAT FOR SCARBOROUGH SHOAL AND FOR ALL PH ISLANDS IN THE SPRATLYS. 

PH TECHNICALLY 'OCCUPIES' 10 FEATURES comprising seven islands and three reefs in the Spratlys but 'militarily occupies' only 7 of the 10 features*...
BUT IF YOU THINK, ONLY CHINA IS STEALING OUR ISLANDS (Mischief Reef, Scarborough, Half Moon Shoal, Sabina Shoal), WELL, YOU ARE MISTAKEN!

MALAYSIA HAS STOLEN FROM PH TWO ISLANDS THAT TECHNICALLY BELONG TO THE KALAYAAN ISLAND GROUP while PH was not looking... They occupied Erica Reef (Gabriela Silang Reef) which is part of the Philippine Kalayaan Island Group attached to the Municipality of Kalayaan, District of Palawan as well as Investigator Shoal (Pawikan Reef). Both are well within the 200 nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines.

NOTE: In 1999, Malaysia occupied Gabriela Silang Reef (Erica Reef) and Pawikan Reef (Investigator Shoal), causing the Philippines to protest but nothing came out of it. (Incidentally, Vietnam has also stolen one our islands when PH troops were away partying... But that is another story.)

Not only has Malaysia illegally annexed Sabah, they now use Sabah to lay claims and to occupy other islets, reefs, shoals that they say are within Sabah's 200 nautical mile EEZ. They occupied Swallow Reef (Celerio for the Philippines), which they now call Layang-Layang, on the basis that it is within Sabah's EEZ and have been maintaining a Malaysia Navy offshore security post called Uniform Station on the reef.

*CLAIM & OCCUPATION
The Philippines is now left with the following "features" in the Spratly (Wiki):
Pagasa Island (Thitu Island)
Likas Island (West York Island)
Parola Island (Northeast Cay)
Lawak Island (Nanshan Island)
Kota Island (Loaita Island)
Patag Island (Flat Island)
Panata Island (Lankiam Cay)
Rizal Reef (Commodore Reef)
Balagtas Reef (Irving Reef)
Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Reef)

But only 7 of them are militarily occupied (Wiki):
Occupied by the Philippines
Thitu Island · Pagasa Island
West York Island · Likas Island
Northeast Cay · Parola Island
Nanshan Island · Lawak Island
Loaita Island · Kota Island
Flat Island · Patag Island
Lankiam Cay · Panata Island

BEWARE OF YOUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBOURS!

We also posted about so-called China PLA Navy's 'active coastal defence': First and second island chains:

A BETTER ILLUSTRATION OF THE "FIRST AND SECOND ISLAND CHAINS" WHICH ARE THE STRATEGIC FOCUS OF THE CHINA PLA NAVY's 'ACTIVE COASTAL DEFENCE'.  

This is why we will be seeing more of China PLA naval maneuvers from the Pacific Ocean into the South China Sea/West Philippine Sea -- just as we will be seeing more and more of US naval fleet maneuvers from the Pacific Ocean and the West PH Seas too! These "First and Second Island Chains" routes will be become the biggest naval "playground" in the world.

More and more, China will be strengthening their capability to obstruct those waters in the event of a war with the United States and they will do it by constantly doing maneuvers through those "ISLAND CHAINS". If you noticed, yesterday, China PLA Navy led by missile destroyer Qingdao triumphantly announced that their fleet that was deployed for patrol and other exercises had passed the "First Island Chain."

The United States knows that the 'First Island Chain' and the 'Second Island Chain' will be crucial in its strategy decision making process. In fact, the 'forecast' is that in "another 10-15 years, America’s qualitative military advantage will be eroded to the point that a conflict over Taiwan would jeopardize several large ships and aircraft carriers."

~~ Admin AdB, Defenders of the Philippine Sabah & Spratly Claims 

RELATED POSTS:

• China pirates more of PH EEZ; imposes a 15-nautical mile no entry zone around Scarborough Shoal
• Philippines must not allow China to creep invade the Spratlys just like they did to Mischief Reef
• Mischief Reef and then Scarborough Shoal: "Never again?"
• The importance of the Spratlys and why it may be a "flash point" if China insists on blocking passage
• Cause of the Philippines-China stand off in Scarborough
• How can the Philippines reverse its Scarborough tactical blunder?
• China's Act of Piracy: Philippines must continue patrolling its Exclusive Economic Zone
• United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), West Philippine Sea and Scarborough Shoal
• China and Malaysia have hijacked PH territories in West Philippine Sea 
• China PLA Navy's 'active coastal defence': First and second island chains 
• China's ultimate weapons of mass destructions will be their inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) 
• China's minelaying technology

Philippine Spratly Islands, Malaysia and China

DO NOT FORGET SCARBOROUGH SHOAL... KEEP UP THE DRUM BEAT FOR SCARBOROUGH SHOAL AND FOR ALL PH ISLANDS IN THE SPRATLYS. PH TECHNICALLY 'OCCUPIES' 10 FEATURES comprising seven islands and three reefs in the Spratlys but 'militarily occupies' only 7 of the 10 features*...

BUT IF YOU THINK, ONLY CHINA IS STEALING OUR ISLANDS (Mischief Reef, Scarborough, Half Moon Shoal, Sabina Shoal), WELL, YOU ARE MISTAKEN!

MALAYSIA HAS STOLEN FROM PH TWO ISLANDS THAT TECHNICALLY BELONG TO THE KALAYAAN ISLAND GROUP while PH was not looking... They occupied Erica Reef (Gabriela Silang Reef) which is part of the Philippine Kalayaan Island Group attached to the Municipality of Kalayaan, District of Palawan as well as Investigator Shoal (Pawikan Reef). Both are well within the 200 nautical mile EEZ of the Philippines.

NOTE: In 1999, Malaysia occupied Gabriela Silang Reef (Erica Reef) and Pawikan Reef (Investigator Shoal), causing the Philippines to protest but nothing came out of it. (Incidentally, Vietnam has also stolen one our islands when PH troops were away partying... But that is another story.)

Not only has Malaysia illegally annexed Sabah, they now use Sabah to lay claims and to occupy other islets, reefs, shoals that they say are within Sabah's 200 nautical mile EEZ. They occupied Swallow Reef (Celerio for the Philippines), which they now call Layang-Layang, on the basis that it is within Sabah's EEZ and have been maintaining a Malaysia Navy offshore security post called Uniform Station on the reef.

*CLAIM & OCCUPATION
The Philippines is now left with the following "features" in the Spratly (Wiki):
Pagasa Island (Thitu Island)
Likas Island (West York Island)
Parola Island (Northeast Cay)
Lawak Island (Nanshan Island)
Kota Island (Loaita Island)
Patag Island (Flat Island)
Panata Island (Lankiam Cay)
Rizal Reef (Commodore Reef)
Balagtas Reef (Irving Reef)
Ayungin Reef (Second Thomas Reef)

But only 7 of them are militarily occupied (Wiki):
Occupied by the Philippines
Thitu Island · Pagasa Island
West York Island · Likas Island
Northeast Cay · Parola Island
Nanshan Island · Lawak Island
Loaita Island · Kota Island
Flat Island · Patag Island
Lankiam Cay · Panata Island

BEWARE OF YOUR BACKDOOR NEIGHBOURS!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

ON BEHALF OF ALL THE MEMBERS OF THE DEFENDERS OF PHILIPPINE SOVEREIGNTY COMMUNITY, HAPPY NEW YEAR GREETINGS TO ALL THE DEFENDERS OF THE WEST PHILIPPINE SEA: the Philippine Navy, thePhilippine Marines, Western Command (WESCOM) the Philippine Air Force, the Philippine Coast Guard, THE INHABITANTS OF THE Philippine Spratly territories, and every single defender of Philippine sovereignty! 

May the Lord guide and protect you all! MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS! 

WELCOME TO PATAG AND LAWAK ISLANDS, Philippine Spratly territories! shown in the midst of the deep blue sea, Patag and Lawak (behind)...
It would be nice to do a tourism drive for both Patag (front)and Lawak (back) islands in the Philippine Spratly territories! Defenders of the Spratly claim must join up and do a jamboree on one of these two fine-looking beaches!

Philippine government must modernize navy pronto!

By Anne de Bretagne
For the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum

Peninsular Malaysia has, in their warship inventory, four Laksamana class missile corvettes (from Italy) armed with anti-ship and anti-air missiles (6 missile launchers per ship) with a range of 120kms. All four corvettes are also armed with 76mm and 40mm guns as well as anti-submarine torpedo systems and possess countermeasures. They have a speed of up to 35 knots.

There is absolutely no doubt to my mind that the money that funded the acquisition of these warships in the 1990s was sourced from the exploited resources of Sabah and Sarawak (but mainly from Sabah petrol.)

Now, in the same corvette league (a teeny weeny bit more than 62 meters), the Philippines has three Peacock class corvettes (from the UK but now renamed the Jacinto class corvettes) commissioned by the Royal Navy in 1983, namely, BRP Apolinario Mabini, BRP Emilio Jacinto, and BRP Artemio Ricarte with a speed of 25 knots. Our Jacinto class corvettes are each armed with one 76mm gun, one 25MM gun, two 20mm cannons and two 50 caliber machine guns.

In a potential classic naval confrontation in Southern Philippine waters, say, in the Celebes Sea between these "similar" class of warships, but not to include the other naval and air assets and other top of the line weapons systems that Malaysia possesses, in my view, there is sadly little chance that our three Jacinto class corvettes will come out victorious. Hence, it is not to our advantage at all to engage in a classic naval battle scenario with the Malaysians today.

Our government must modernize our navy PRONTO. We need a credible navy because we have an immense coastline. Our archipelago sits on and is surrounded by incredible masses of water that require a reasonable measure of defending. The problems that we are going to face in the very near future will be sea-based or ocean-based. Witness the problems in the Spratlys, the Scarborough stand-off with China, threats from Malaysia that may span the Sulu Sea, and even piracy, etc.,

The idea of beefing our navy ahead of say the other major service commands does not seek to engage a neighbour in naval warfare but understand that a credible naval power will ultimately imbue the nation with the confidence to force those who wish to bully us in our waters and yonder and attack our sovereignty rights to stop and think before doing it. Furthermore, beefing our navy may just also force Malaysia to stop and sit down with us so that we can finally tackle the thorny Sabah issue.

Our leaders, politicians, military planners, their sidekicks, the China watchers, Malaysia watchers, i.e., the nation at large, etc. must remember there never is a better time than today when Julius Caesar's doctrine is more appropriate: "Si vis pacem para bellum." (If you want peace, prepare for war).

Note that the same doctrine helped prevent MAD (Mutually Assured Destruction) during the Cold War, the most successful warfare ever conducted in the history of mankind when NO BULLET WAS FIRED between NATO and the Warsaw Pact forces.

A nation that is militarily credible is bound to have less enemies and is likely to stop potential enemies from warring with her, hence, to prepare for war does not necessarily mean to engage in war. On the contrary... Of course, there is never 100 per cent guarantee but military power will help dissuade our enemies from bullying us and instead, will encourage them to respect us.

NB: First photo shows one of Malaysia's KD Laksamana class corvettes; second photo shows the Philippines' Jacinto class corvettes.

NBB: Originally posted on the Philippine Sabah Claim Forum

SPRATLYS: SLOCs and various choke points, importance to US and to other nations

By: Anne de Bretagne

Philippine Sabah Claim Forum

Nov 15, 2011

This diagram illustrates the various choke points (SLOC) in the region thar are vital to the US (and of course, to China). They are the shortest routs to the Indian Ocean. If, for whatever reason, those lanes are blocked, US military vessels and commercial ships will lose precious time, at huge cost, if they have to turn around Australia to reach the Indian Ocean; this becomes even more critical in time of crisis when the US Navy must deploy, for example, to the Gulf. The US will not, can not allow any nation to block these sea lanes.

I was asked a question by a student in international diplomacy in another thread: "What interest shall the US protect, then, in the region?"

My brief answer: 

There are 3 lanes/chokepoints in the region: (1) Malacca Strait, (2) Sunda, (3) Lombok Strait... These are the lanesthat provide the shortest routes from the Pacific to the Indian Ocean for large ships, US Navy and US merchant marine ships (tankers).

The US needs unimpeded sea lines of communication for their' own traffic (military and for commercial purposes -- to ferry tankers for example).

For example, the US needs these sea lanes to be able to access the Gulf from their Pacific base as quickly as possible especially in time of crisis... A detour, eg., around Australia if say, Malacca Strait, the shortest route to the Gulf, is closed for some reason, its non-access would hugely impede US naval deployment by one hell of a long tim,e by many days if not weeks, and that's not good enough.

So what interest does US have in the region? To ensure the free flow of sea traffic, for trade and military purposes. It is in US interest to "protect" the region from, say, a blockade by an ambitious nation in the region

Again, the SLOC in that region is as vital to the US as to the Chinese and to every nation in the region.

Besides, big tankers, huge naval vessels, aircraft carriers cannot go through a different route (within the time required) because the waters are shallow, hence, the US has no choice but to "borrow" those SLOCs.

The importance of the Spratly is that it is a choke point as well. Any one nation that controls the Spratly could very well block passage to the Malacca and the Sunda Straits, hence it is in the interest of the US that no "armed sea conflict" arises over the Spratly and will prevent such conflict arising by any means possible.