South China Sea's Island-Building Gives Chinese Option to Militarize There: NGA

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钟辰芳, 美专家建议台湾恢复在太平岛部署陆战队. VOA Chinese, Oct 13, 2016.
http://www.voachinese.com/a/us-t ... 161013/3549755.html

Note:
(a) "《亚洲时报》星期二报道，极少公开露面的美国国家地理空间情报局(National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, NGA)局长卡迪罗(Robert Cardillo)最近在一个国会听证会上表示，间谍卫星和飞机紧密监视北京在南中国海的建设后发现，中国在南中国海填海造岛，建设许多军事结构与设备，是为了将来可能在这些岛礁上永久部署军队，并非如北京所说的只是商业或观光目的。"
(i) Bill Gertz, Beijing's South China Sea island buildup 'for military purposes.'  Asia Times, Oct 11, 2016
http://www.atimes.com/article/be ... -military-purposes/

Quote:

"One of its [NGA's] specialties is identifying strategic camouflage, concealment and deception designed to fool foreign intelligence services regarding covert activities — like the South China Sea island-building program.

"Part of the Chinese narrative has been that they're commercial, even tourist-related, etc * * * And the more that we've identified are military-related structures and equipment that at least gives the Chinese the option to permanently post military forces in and on these islands,' Cardillo said.

(ii) Somehow Mr Gertz elected to publish the essay at Asia Times, rather than his haunts (Washington Free Beacon and Washington Times).

(b) "星期三，全球台湾研究所(Global Taiwan Institute, GTI)在华盛顿举行关于美台海洋合作问题的研讨会，美国2049项目研究所研究员易思安(Ian Easton)在会中表示，以目前南中国海情势发展来看，一旦危机发生，没有军队防守的太平岛很可能成为解放军垂涎的目标(tempting target)，台湾应该要恢复派驻陆战队防守太平岛，而美国也应该鼓励台湾这么做。"

Project 2049 Institute is not friendly with China. So the proposition is not surprising.