South China Sea war?

[earthdome]

39 minutes ago, jpbago said:

With Apple, it is quite different, the opposite, as in this San Bernadino terrorist killing of 14 people.

On February 9, 2016, the FBI announced that it was unable to unlock one of the mobile phones they had recovered because of the phone's advanced security features. The phone was an iPhone 5C owned by the county and issued to its employee, the shooter Farook.[120][121] The FBI first asked the National Security Agency to break into the phone, but the NSA was unable to do so.[122] As a result, the FBI asked Apple Inc. to create a new version of the phone's iOS operating system that could be installed and run in the phone's random access memory to disable certain security features. Apple declined due to its policy to never undermine the security features of its products. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2015_San_Bernardino_attack#Investigation

That is just an unlock. There are many ways to compromise an electronic device that someone is using by exploiting security bugs that can be triggered during normal use, perhaps by opening an email attachment.

[Dr. Shiva]

Did the FBI itself hacked successfully that iphone?

The chances of a big war coming to Europe seems much higher than in the south China sea. 

And even if a war in the south China sea would be started, the Philippines looks somewhat save due its remote location. The distance china - US looks shorter than Philippines - US. 

[josta]

Thank you all for your thoughtful replies!

[ITGeek]

Jake, et al,

Sorry I for not responding earlier to your posts.  I've had a lot going on the past few weeks.  Asawa ko's lolo passed away a few weeks ago and been busy with pamilya events.  However, in the time since I posted my comment, you can now see in the current news that President Trump's administration has called out China on NK actions.  President Xi is scheduled to meet with President Trump this week.  I guarantee you that Trump will issue China an ultimatum to either enforce the UN sanctions against NK and muzzle your dog Kim Jong Un or the US will help arm its East Asian allies (SK and Japan) and begin to impose economic sanctions on Chinese.  China is caught with its proverbial hand in the cookie jar.  If they don't successfully get their attack dog back on a tight leash, the US would act unilaterally to neuter their dog.  China does not want a united Korea or heavily armed Japan on its borders.

Trump is callling China's bluff and giving them a way out to save face.  I bet it will include provisions of dismantling their military bases in the South China Sea too.  Otherwise, the US might start helping out some of the ASEAN countries too.  Lots of bad blood between Vietnamese and Chinese, I'm sure Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, even PI's Dutuerte would also be open to President Trump's offerings.  China can't afford to get involved in regional conflicts, as its own internal problems are starting to surface.

I see someone mentioned Project THOR or "Rods from God".  It was a black budget program for a space based conventional weapons platform.  It can drop tungsten rods the size of telephone poles from orbit to any target in the world within 20 minutes.  No warhead, just a guidance system to steer the rod to its target and deliver the equivalent devastation of a low yield tactical nuke to its target.  Undetectable, no defensive countermeasure and no radioactive fallout.  Imagine what one of these "Rods from God" would do to one of those Chinese bases in the Spratly Islands.