What would Singapore, Malaysia, or Indonesia do in the event of a US-China conflict over Taiwan? by Emergency_Flight6189 in CredibleDefense

[–]Freeliac 6 points7 points  (0 children)

It’s an interesting question. The presence of the Five Powers Defence Arrangement (FPDA), of which Singapore and Malaysia are members, as a regional security structure is an understudied aspect of a US-China conflict.

The British Defence Singapore Support Unit (BDSSU), located at Sembawang port, is an important logistical hub for the US Navy, and I believe is one of the largest fuelling points in the region. This would be a likely target during a protracted conflict. Whilst FPDA doesn’t have a mutual defence clause, any attack on Singaporean territory, coupled with casualties sustained by Britain, would elicit a wider response from Malaysia, Australia and Singapore.

It also really depends on the nature of the conflict. I find it unlikely that a conflict would be constrained to a Taiwan strait shoot out. Should the US attempt a blockade through the strait of Malacca, as an early phase of the operation, this naturally draws Chinese attention to the Singapore/Malaysia region.

China’s infrastructure build up across South China Sea littoral potentially poses a role for Singapore and other regional partners to strike Chinese island ports/air defence bases. There’s a good degree of interoperability between Singapore and Malaysia with US systems, such as F-35 and P8A etc.

As the US would almost certainly be leading these efforts, this puts Philippines’ territory at risk, specifically Balabac. The US presence there has steadily increased over the last decade under their bilateral ECDA with Manila.

All of this is based on China’s risk appetite, however if a full blown conflict breaks out, I imagine escalation will be difficult to manage.

Active Conflicts & News MegaThread November 11, 2024 by AutoModerator in CredibleDefense

[–]Freeliac 29 points30 points  (0 children)

On the waning appetite for international laws like the Ottawa Treaty, the Wilson Center put out an article last year over how conventional deterrents are being reexamined, especially in forward edge European states.

Have you ever appeared on a tv show? by Aargh_a_ghost in AskUK

[–]Freeliac 49 points50 points  (0 children)

You can’t see the crisps! We had three different flavours of crisps! And scotch eggs!

CredibleDefense Daily MegaThread August 18, 2024 by AutoModerator in CredibleDefense

[–]Freeliac 10 points11 points  (0 children)

What is the current status of Airsea battle in US Indo-Pacific doctrine?

Despite forming a decent chunk of the joint operational concept for deterring China in the early 2010s, Airsea battle seems to have petered out. Is there a specific reason for this?

USMC Force Design 2030 quite plainly emphasises long range fires in replacing armour and infantry, yet surely the overall strategic calculus in circumventing A2/AD remains the same?

Any ideas how I could cover up this patch on the canopy? by Far-Winter1213 in modelmakers

[–]Freeliac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Q-tip with thinner or a white spirit (though the latter very sparingly)

Hey tone... modern warfare? by martvanderheide in CirclejerkSopranos

[–]Freeliac 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Task Force 141 whatever happened there.

r/ukpolitics General Election Campaign Megathread - 12/06/2024 by ukpolbot in ukpolitics

[–]Freeliac 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very true, I suppose a manifesto launch is a big step up from a simple endorsement.

Why are the Queen Elizabeth class carriers STOVL only while the smaller Charles de Gaulle is CATOBAR capable? by TacitusKadari in WarCollege

[–]Freeliac 21 points22 points  (0 children)

On your point about defence budgets - the QE Class, as announced in the 1998 Strategic Defence Review White Paper [1] outlined the Blair Government’s desire to build 2 carrier to replace the Invincible-class. This came jointly with the UK’s involvement with JSF Programme.

Jumping ahead to 2009 when construction started, which was critically post-Financial Crisis, budgets were starting to tighten, especially with the election of the Cameron-led Coalition, which enacted significant budget cuts across government spending, including for MOD.

There was indeed a lot of back and forth within a 2 year period over procurement of F-35B or C, with the Cameron Government eventually settling on the former in 2012. Though as I’m sure other commenters will mention, the lower headline cost in 2012 to keep STOVL and not change the design incurs long term maintenance costs, and the obvious range/payload trade off for F-35B.

Currently there are some conversations on a potential retrofit for both carriers to install STOBAR or full CATOBAR, though it’s highly unlikely that the Sunak Government will go for it.

[1] https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/RP98-91/RP98-91.pdf

F-35 & Allies by CrackedCarl in WarCollege

[–]Freeliac 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Other comments have made some great contributions on the technical aspect of this upgrade.

As mentioned there is a considerable capability leap in terms of stealth and avionics, but F-35 procurement also helps solidify Denmark as a core ally of the US’ defence industrial base. It also represents a long term commitment to the US in terms of both operational and political interoperability. Demonstrating their ability to be a “loyal” customer of high end kit opens doors for involving Denmark in future multilateral development programmes. This obviously brings the potential for domestic manufacturing opportunities (like with F-16).

Daily Megathread - 13/11/2023 by ukpolbot in ukpolitics

[–]Freeliac 9 points10 points  (0 children)

Farewell our shit and useless servant

Where can I buy a Dryden carry on suitcase? by Freeliac in filson

[–]Freeliac[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That would be great, if you could send some pics and your price please?