Thank you Armchair Critic.

So, China claims an entire ocean, which just happens to be international waters, and it's all the USA's fault?

Yeah, that fits.

Now you know why Trump is going to be the next President, and why he will try to make the USA isolationist again. The Americans are sick and tired of being the world's policeman, and getting little in return except criticism and abuse.

If you despise the Americans and hope that the USA collapses, then I don't think you will like what is coming next. It is either going to be the Caliphate, or trying to deal with China, the first homosexual superpower since Sparta. Either way, these guys make the yanks look like angels.

Personally, I prefer the yanks, and so do most other people and countries. China's only "allies" are North Korea, nicknamenick, and possibly Cambodia. The only ally Islam has is Islam, and even then they are fighting among themselves to be top dog. The USA's allies include NATO, Australia, South Korea, Japan, Canada, and every other decent country in the world. In addition, many non aligned nations are friendly to the USA because they don't share your bizarre world view. The Indian navy wants to conduct "freedom of navigation" patrols with the US Navy in the SCS. The Philippines is considering reopening Subic Bay as a US naval port. Even Vietnam is considering opening Cam Rahn Bay to US ships.

The yanks have a lot of friends, which is more than I can say about the sorts of countries you prefer over the USA. And that is China's problem. If it wants a war, then every nation bordering the SCS will be their enemy. It will be biting off more than it can chew, which is a great way to deter an aggressor. You should be happy about that. But of course, your default position is that the Americans are always wrong.

Perhaps your worldview is simply a factor of contrarianism? You know, everybody says this, so I say that, just to show how different and unique I am?

It's about democracy : a choice of candidates, free competition. Africa is OK with exporting on Chinese roads and rail. Pakistan OK with Chinese port ( spelt "darwin" ) and rail into China . Philippines kicked US out of Subic and even now is not shooting anyone except small dealers. Democratic US in the world Criminal court and Law of sea would be a good idea. Instead of Billy the Kid and losing gunfights since Tokyo 1945.

Lego... as AC posted, it is also my belief and only that, the US/China kerfuffle in SCS is about regional hegemony. That and an eye to trade/oil corridors from the Russian side of the Asian continent.

The Russians have the Ukraine thing in hand at the present.

I’ll dust off my old DPCU and Poo Boots as I oil up the SLR when I see the whites (sorry - ‘unpigmented’ parts) of their eyes

Hey, why not do a deal with the Chinese to build dem submarines ? I've seen and all too often had to rework some of their steel products on various mine sites around Australia. They be lucky to make it out of Cockburn Sound...let alone up the coast to Broome ! Seeing as they already have the electronic intelligence on our RAN surface and sub surface fleet after the MH370 search. Funny as it was watching PLA Air Force maritime surveillance crews wandering around at Perth and Darwin airports during the event, the fact remains, we have given too much of importance away.

Oh there’s always the Universal Policemen to call when the manure hits the fan I suppose…but given that most predictions on projected losses of ADF personnel and assets within the first 48 – 72 hrs of any serious and concerted “invasion” - we might as well start learning Mandarin.

The comment about us Bronzed ANZAC's being lackeys, well we still haven't managed to let go of Lizzie's apron strings and remain today a far flung outpost of the Empire in all but name. The 54th state of the USA sounds much better don't you think ?

Hey LEGO,

'So, China claims an entire ocean, which just happens to be international waters, and it's all the USA's fault?'

Yeah thats about the size of it.
Just like Russia ended up with Crimea and that was the USA's fault as well.
Well played Putin.

Brzezinski's Grand Chessboard, Wolfowitz Doctrine, Neocons etc...
'American Exceptionalism' 'Liberal Intervention' etc.. Soros..
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-08-03/washingtons-fifth-columns-inside-russia-and-china
http://www.counterpunch.org/2016/08/25/the-broken-chessboard-brzezinski-gives-up-on-empire/

Wars of the world for US hedemony, Saddam, Libya, Syria.... Iran
Wars that serve foreign interests - Saudi's and the Qatari pipeline...
Wars that serve Israel's interests... Zionist Plans for the Middle East, Clean Break
Wars that defend the Petrodollar and the ponzi scheme known as Private Central Banking.

Yesterday our soldiers were involved in killing dozens of Assads troops and the Russians are saying the Americans did it on purpose.
You know, all that crap...
You're talking about my bizarre world view, I'll admit I certainly don't know everything but I think you're a little naive in your own understanding of how the world actually works, no offense.

I never said I hope the US collapses.
I wouldn't want US citizens to suffer because of what their government does and more than I'd want Australians to suffer because of some of the stupid decisions our government does.

ARMCHAIR CRITIC: They've bled us white, the yank bastards. They've taken everything we had, and not just from us, from our fathers, and from our fathers' fathers.
FOXY: And from our fathers' fathers' fathers.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Yeah.
FOXY: And from our fathers' fathers' fathers' fathers.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Yeah. All right, FOXY. Don't labour the point. And what have they ever given us in return?!
HALDUAL: The aqueduct?
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: What?
HALDUAL: The aqueduct.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Oh. Yeah, yeah. They did give us that. Uh, that's true. Yeah.
DAVID G: And the sanitation.
FOXY: Oh, yeah, the sanitation, ARJAY. Remember what the city used to be like? God, this place used to stink before the yanks got here.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Yeah. All right. I'll grant you the aqueduct and the sanitation are two things that the yanks have done.
PLANTAGENET: And the roads.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Well, yeah. Obviously the roads. I mean, the roads go without saying, don't they? But apart from the sanitation, the aqueduct, and the roads--
YUYUTSU: Irrigation.
DAFFY DUCK: Medicine.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Huh? Heh? Huh...
SUSIEONLINE: Education.
EMPORER JULIAN: Ohh...
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Yeah, yeah. All right. Fair enough.
HALDUAL: And the wine.
FOXY: Oh, yes. Yeah...
DAVID G: Yeah. Yeah, that's something we'd really miss, ARJAY, if the Americans left. Huh.
POIROT: Public baths.
CONSTANCE: And it's safe to walk in the streets at night now, Reg.
FOXY: Yeah, they certainly know how to keep order. Let's face it. They're the only ones who could in a place like this.
EMPORER JULIAN: Hehh, heh. Heh heh heh heh heh heh heh.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: All right, but apart from the sanitation, the medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, a fresh water system, and public health, what have the Americans ever done for us?
DAVID G: Brought peace.
ARMCHAIR CRITIC: Oh. Peace? Shut up!

Syd Hickman asked why the submarines Australia has selected so large. As I understand it, these are intended to be long range submarines to detect and intercept threats far from our shores. Also the submarines will act as the underwater equivalent of aircraft carriers: launching Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs). The AUVs are intelligent torpedoes which will collect data and, if necessary, attack targets far from the submarine.

Of course the AUVs may increase in capability to the point where the submarines are obsolete. Just as aircraft rendered the battleship obsolete, submarines may be too big, slow and vulnerable to attack by swarms of AUVs (launched from surface ships or aircraft).

The technology used to make a one person sub for James Cameron, in the inner Sydney suburb of Leichhardt, might be used to mass-produce cheap AUVs: http://blog.tomw.net.au/2014/08/james-camerons-submarine-made-in-sydney.html