Golez: You are correct Secretary Lorenzana. China is militarizing their artificial islands in the South China Sea

Golez: You are correct Secretary Lorenzana. China is militarizing their artificial islands in the South China Sea, especially those with a 3,000-meter runway, namely Subi Reef, Fiery Cross Reef and Mischief Reef (Mischief is inside our Exclusive Economic Zone). The installation of large anti-aircraft guns and close-in weapons systems (CIWS) indicate the high probability that they would install offensive weapons like medium and long range missiles and use the runways for combat planes and even strategic bombers. The anti-aircraft guns and CIWS will be there to protect their offensive weapons from air attack (planes and missiles). I expect the US to also prepare countermeasures such as the reported deployment in Australia of F-22s that have the capability, stealth and range to destroy those artificial island weapons:

"The defense department said Thursday, December 15 it is verifying news reports of China’s purported installation of guns in reclaimed islands in the South China Sea.

"Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said if the reports are indeed true, “this is a big concern for the country and the international community who use South China Sea lanes for trade.”

“It would mean that the Chinese are militarizing the area which is not good.”

Lorenzana: South China Sea militarization ‘not good’

Defense secretary says verifying reports of China’s purported installation of weapons in man-made islands

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Published December 15, 2016, 7:04 PM

By Francis Wakefield

Manila Bulletin

The defense department said Thursday, December 15 it is verifying news reports of China’s purported installation of guns in reclaimed islands in the South China Sea.

Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana said if the reports are indeed true, “this is a big concern for the country and the international community who use South China Sea lanes for trade.”

“It would mean that the Chinese are militarizing the area which is not good.”

A satellite image shows what CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative says appears to be anti-aircraft guns and what are likely to be close-in weapons systems (CIWS) on the artificial island Subi Reef in the South China Sea in this image released on December 13, 2016.
(Courtesy CSIS Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative/DigitalGlobe/Handout via REUTERS) / MANILA BULLETIN

Quoting a report published by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, China appears to have built significant point-defense capabilities in the form of large anti-aircraft guns and probable close-in weapons systems (CIWS) at each of its outposts in the Spratly Islands.

The AMTI said it began tracking the construction of identical, hexagon-shaped structures at Fiery Cross, Mischief, and Subi Reef in June and July.

“It now seems that these structures are an evolution of point-defense fortifications already constructed at China’s smaller facilities on Gaven, Hughes, Johnson, and Cuarteron Reefs,” the AMTI said.

“China has built nearly identical headquarters buildings at each of its four smaller artificial islands. The two smallest of the islets, Hughes and Gaven Reefs, feature four arms built off of these central structures.”

The AMTI said the end of each of these arms sports a hexagonal platform approximately 30 feet wide. The northeastern and southwestern arms, according to the AMTI report, host what are most likely anti-aircraft guns (roughly 20 feet long when measured to the tip of the barrel).

“The other two platforms hold smaller (roughly 10-foot-wide) objects without clearly visible barrels. These cannot be definitively identified, but are likely CIWS to protect against cruise missile strikes, according to the Center for Naval Analyses’ Admiral Michael McDevitt (Ret.) and RAND’s Cortez Cooper in a new podcast,” AMTI was quoted as saying.