China should move

I think the PRC could immediately move 2 brigade's of airborne troops supported by heavy Helo transport assets and a special forces bat into a old airbase or port inside somalia. With a follow on force of a Marine brigade and and a Army Mech/Armour Brig. Imagine if the PRC fixed Somalia and conducted some military operations against Eritrea as this is were much of the "bad guys" are coming from.

Ute, do they have the logistics to do this sort of operation? I can't see it happening right now. Let's say they do as you have suggested. How are they going to logistically maintain such a force?

The world wide politically repercussions would be intresting to watch.

Personally I do not think the PRC will take any action other than the usaul "talking head" ramblings of a spokes person.

Instead of sending in PLA, China can hire local people to act as security guards. Somalia is not a stable place to begin with, and China should have been prepared for raids and gun battles.

Originally Posted by Ryz05

Instead of sending in PLA, China can hire local people to act as security guards. Somalia is not a stable place to begin with, and China should have been prepared for raids and gun battles.

It's useless to send the regular troops or warships there for a paramilitary warfare. Be prepared to take causalties if you go out and explore, no surprise.

Popeye, I think they do have the logistics to conduct such operation.
1. we know the air force can move said airborne troops and all airborne combat AFIV in around 2 weeks or less.
2. The Move of the Marines and Mech/Armour brigade would take longer and the use of its commercial shipping fleet would have no problem at all in moving that size of force without taxiing its Amphibious warfare ships. The reason in using just a few Amphibious warfare ships would be because it would not be a contested landing by a organized force.

so I Think the movement of around 10,000 PLA military personal and 300+ armoured vehicles into Somalia could be completed in around 30 days with very little problem. Once those forces were in place I think a Reg of Q-5 and around 12 SU-27 to deal with the Eritrean air-force would also be needed and also to give air combat support for ground operations. I also think world opinion would be fine if the PRC went the rout of "we are truly here to fix things and secondly to protect our assets"......cheers ute

Well, PLA might be able to transport the troops to Somalia. But I somewhat doubt they currently could support and coordinate an ongoing military operation on that scale that far away from home sufficiently.
You describe an operation on a different continent against an entire army.
I could imagine some hundred light infantry/recon soldiers with light vehicles to secure oil-fields and chinese workers. Maybe support stabilizing operations in the immediate vicinety. But not more at the moment.
I don't think they need to chase those rebels into eritean teritory or hold eritrea responsible for them right now.
Plus, it would be a way to test international response on such an action with only a small deployment. But 10.000 soldiers at once might be too much in one turn.

I wonder if the White House is scrambling to see who these guys are because the US military is already operating in the area and was said to be involved with groups that attacked Mogadishu recently.

This is why China needs carriers. Whether to use them for this type of incident is another question.

Originally Posted by utelore

so I Think the movement of around 10,000 PLA military personal and 300+ armoured vehicles into Somalia could be completed in around 30 days with very little problem. Once those forces were in place I think a Reg of Q-5 and around 12 SU-27 to deal with the Eritrean air-force would also be needed and also to give air combat support for ground operations. I also think world opinion would be fine if the PRC went the rout of "we are truly here to fix things and secondly to protect our assets"......cheers ute

Ute, whatever you're smoking I'd like some of it!

China couldn't pull anything off like this. It simply couldn't - I shouldn't even have to say why.

Ute, says;

Popeye, I think they do have the logistics to conduct such operation.

and

I Think the movement of around 10,000 PLA military personal and 300+ armoured vehicles into Somalia could be completed in around 30 days with very little problem.

I just don't see how. Even given 30 days. Maybe in 90 days they may pull something off... They just don't have the logistical support anywhere.. They just don't. They would have to establish supply lines with their "allies" to support their troops in Somilia that simply do not exist at this time.

From sinodefense;

The PLAAF is equipped with 14 Russian-made IL-76 jet transport aircraft for medium- to long-range airlift missions. The two services are also equipped with 200~300 indigenous Y-8 and Y-7 turboprop transports, and 8~10 H-6 aerial refuelling aircraft.

How many of those aircraft are servicable and avilable for this mission? Also does the PLAAF have any "real World " experience in such an airlift? I beleive that answer is either no or limited.

It would be intresting to see the PRC respond to this murderous act.

Originally Posted by bd popeye

It would be intresting to see the PRC respond to this murderous act.

Well, for good or ill it won't respond with a military taskforce. It might lodge a protest and/or try to exert some soft power, but then again it's not as if the Ethiopians are backing these people so they can't exactly change much by going after Addis Ababa.

We can all speculate about what the PRC should or should not do..They have never, ever responded to any of these type attacks. That's a fact.

For me the fact these murders kidnapped 7 Chinese workers is a very grave situation. I feel the PRC should take some action as best the can reguarding this situation immediately.

Here is the full news story. 74 people were killed in the attack.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070424/...ina_oil_attack

Ethiopian rebels kill 74 in oil attack By ANITA POWELL, Associated Press Writer

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Ethiopian rebels who have fought alongside Islamic militants in neighboring Somalia stormed a Chinese-run oil field at dawn Tuesday, killing 74 people and destroying the exploration facility in a restive border region.

It was the first such attack on a foreign company in this Horn of Africa nation, in contrast to Nigeria on the western side of the continent, where rebel groups frequently attack international oil concerns.

Chinese officials said nine Chinese oil workers and 65 Ethiopians died and seven Chinese were taken away by the rebels. It wasn't known if the rebels suffered any casualties.

The assault by more than 200 gunmen lasted nearly an hour, and followed a warning last year from the rebel Ogaden National Liberation Front against any investment in eastern Ethiopia's Ogaden area that could benefit the U.S.-allied government.

Formed by Ethiopia's ethnic Somali minority, the Muslim group has been fighting for secession of the Britain-sized region with 4 million inhabitants since the early 1990s, but it had mounted only occasional hit-and-run attacks on government troops in recent years.

The large scale of the attack at the small town of Abole, close to the Somali border, raised the prospect of a broadening of the fighting in Somalia, where the Ethiopian army is supporting the U.N.-backed interim Somali government in a war with Islamic insurgents.

"This was a cold-blooded killing," Bereket Simon, a special adviser to Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, told The Associated Press.

J. Stephen Morrison, director of the Africa program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, said the Ogaden rebels are a "convenient vehicle for those who want to destabilize Ethiopia." He said both Somalia's Islamic militants and the government of Eritrea could be backers.

Princeton Lyman, an Africa expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, urged caution in assigning blame. He said it was possible the Eritreans could encourage such attacks, but he added that the Ogaden rebels might simply have been emboldened by the fighting in Somalia.

The rebels have fought on behalf of the Somalia insurgents, while Ethiopia and Eritrea are bitter foes.

Eritreans won their independence from Ethiopia in 1991 after a bloody three-decade rebellion, and the two nations fought a 2 1/2-year war over their disputed border that ended in 2000. Ethiopia has accused Eritrea of waging terror attacks, a charge Eritrea denies.

Eritrea also is thought to be providing support to insurgents fighting Somalia's acting government, which was supported by Ethiopian troops in defeating a hard-line Muslim militia in December.

The Ethiopian government, which is dominated by Christians and has the strongest army in the region, has allied with the U.S. in the campaign against extremist groups in the Horn of Africa. It fears rising Islamic militancy in the region could worsen unrest in Ogaden, which Ethiopia won from Somalia in a 1977 border war.

Ethiopia's prime minister, Meles, expressed confidence to journalists that the attack would not have a lasting effect on investment here.

Ethiopia is not an oil-producing country. But companies such as China's Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, whose facility was attacked, and Malaysia's state-owned oil giant Petronas have signed exploration deals.

China has increased its presence in Africa in recent years in a hunt for oil and other natural resources to feed its rapidly growing economy, sometimes venturing into politically unstable areas.

Xu Shuang, general manager of Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau's Ethiopia operation, declined to give details of the attack, except to say that the attackers killed nine Chinese oil workers along with 65 Ethiopians and kidnapped seven Chinese workers.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Liu Jianchao, condemned the attack, China's official Xinhua News Agency said.

Xinhua said the attackers fought 100 Ethiopian soldiers protecting the facility in a 50-minute gunbattle. It said the company had 157 Chinese and Ethiopian workers at the facility.

Zhongyuan Petroleum Exploration Bureau, which has operations in at least nine nations, is a division of the state-owned China Petroleum and Chemical Corp. and came to Ethiopia in May 2004, according to its Web site. It began work in Ogaden last year.

The Ogaden National Liberation Front described Tuesday's attack as "military operations against units of the Ethiopian armed forces guarding an oil exploration site."

It did not give any details of casualties, but said its fighters "wiped out" three Ethiopian military units at Abole, which is 75 miles from Jijiga, the capital of Somali Regional State, as Ogaden is formally known.

Bereket, the government adviser, said several Ethiopian soldiers were wounded by the rebels.

"The army is pursuing them. We will track them down dead or alive. We will make sure these people will be hunted and be brought to justice," he said.

Associated Press writer Sarah DiLorenzo in New York contributed to this report.

This is really a grave issue. I'm surprised by the lack of response to this thread.

All the PLA fans should be hot on this subject. 16 citizens of the PRC have been murdered or kidnapped. This is not the first time something like this has occuried in recent history.

What sort of move should China make? Can they do anything at all?

Originally Posted by bd popeye

We can all speculate about what the PRC should or should not do..They have never, ever responded to any of these type attacks. That's a fact.

For me the fact these murders kidnapped 7 Chinese workers is a very grave situation. I fel the PRC should take some action as best the can reguarding this situation immediately.

Here is the full news story. 74 people were killed in the attack.



This is really a grave issue. I'm surprised by the lack of response to this thread.

All the PLA fans should be hot on this subject. 16 citizens of the PRC have been murdered or kidnapped. This is not the first time something like this has occuried in recent history.

What sort of move should China make? Can they do anyting at all?

It's a grave tragedy. I think the best course is for China to work closely with Ethiopian government on the issue, as well as providing equipments and training for Ethiopian army. The best thing is to use local forces to protect Chinese business interests.

First Post : D

I imagine the PRC will be very cautious when considering their response to this attack. After all the care they've taken to foster the idea of their "peaceful rise", it is hard to imagine a high-profile troop deployment happening. Ryz05's suggestion above of using local forces seems likely to me. Although I too would be very interested in seeing some kind of deployment in response to this, it would be a real test of their ability to operate as a major power should be able to.
Perhaps a small special forces unit will be sent out. This seems like an ideal opportunity for them to get combat experience.

Originally Posted by bd popeye

.......How many of those aircraft are servicable and avilable for this mission? Also does the PLAAF have any "real World " experience in such an airlift? I beleive that answer is either no or limited.

It would be intresting to see the PRC respond to this murderous act.

Actually, if the Ethiopian government gives its blessing to PLA troops, no reason why PLA troops can't be brought there on these transport or commercial aircraft. Re-fueling of those transport can be arranged with friendly countries like Pakistan, Yemen or even the Saudis.
Heavier equipment like APCs can be shipped there. It's not like it's an operation onto hostile ground requiring parachute drops.
But unlikely Ethiopia or many African nations will want foreign troops there. They'll insist they can solve the hostage issue. Nor do I think China is willing to risk a dangerous hostage rescue mission.

If my own people were killed and taken hostage by the same people like these i would expect no less then my government to go and protect our citizens, i really don't see anything wrong with China attempting to do exactly the same thing.