It's time...

To get China’s attention...

The United States plans to deploy more high-tech missile systems to the Philippines to help deter aggression in the South China Sea, where the treaty allies on Tuesday condemned what they called China’s “illegal, coercive, aggressive, and deceptive activities.”

Beijing has repeatedly expressed alarm over the installation in the northern Philippines of a U.S. mid-range missile system called the Typhon in 2024 and of an anti-ship missile launcher last year. It said the U.S. weapons were aimed at containing China’s rise and warned that these were a threat to regional stability.

China has asked the Philippines to withdraw the missile launchers from its territory, but officials led by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. have rejected the demand.

Full article, HERE from Military Times.

China likes playing the ‘big dog’ with the little countries inside the second island chain, as it’s known. They DON’T like it when those little countries get teeth!

Much less like a country like the Philippines having a deterrence capability, which these and other missiles provide, especially when the Chinese Coast Guard and ‘blue ships’ constantly harass Philippine fishermen.

Or the ability to reach the Spratly Islands, which are among the ‘contested’ shoals/islands west of the Philippines that are in the Philippine EEZ, but China routinely claims and fishes.

When you add the ‘new’ discussions between the US and Philippines on basing issues, and ramping up of joint training, things are getting more like the pre-Pinatubo blow up, when the US had multiple bases there, including ships, aircraft, and ‘other’ activities.

In other news, closer to home, it’s fire season already...

Multiple fires are burning in the Panhandle, Oklahoma, and Kansas, HERE. Major highways were blocked, and some folks in the northern exurb of Amarillo has been evacuated.

We didn’t get winds much over 30mph yesterday, but Amarillo got gusts of up to 70mph, and a few semi’s apparently got blown over.

So stay safe folks, and do your fire preps NOW, don’t wait until the last minute. Things are replaceable, YOU are not!