China built full-size models of US warships and aircraft to hone its missiles

China built full-size models of US warships and aircraft to hone its missiles

Insider Inc.

• China has built an array of replica ships, aircraft and bases in its desert expanse.

• New images show an extensive buildup of targets and a focus on the US and Taiwan.

• One former military official said the scale of this training was "unprecedented."

China is not just building replicas of US warships.

Satellite images analyzed by The Telegraph — a member of the Axel Springer Global Reporters Network that includes Business Insider — reveal it is also building models of fighter jets, naval bases and Taiwanese presidential buildings.

Beijing has been using these models to test its ever-growing stockpile of long-range weapons and new AI systems as it prepares to take control of Taiwan — a top priority of Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.

The accuracy of the replicas "signals a highly specific focus on potential adversaries rather than generic capability building," said Damien Symon, a geo-intelligence researcher at the AI-analysis firm The Intel Lab, who first identified several of the maritime models.

While it is unknown if the US would officially come to Taiwan's defense, most experts agree that Washington would probably step in. Without American support, Taiwan would struggle to remain autonomous.

China's People's Liberation Army (PLA) has also built to-scale models of Taiwan's presidential office and key government buildings so soldiers can practice storming the capital in the most realistic setting possible.

"They're basically creating replicas to provide them with the ability to maneuver through there on a training operation as though they were standing in Taipei," said Sean O'Connor, lead satellite image analyst at defence firm Janes.

Satellite images last year showed that China had built a 280km-long tunnel connecting the different replicas of Taiwan's government buildings to prepare for a scenario in which the country's leaders attempt to flee underground.

While it's not uncommon for countries to train with specific scenarios and enemies in mind, Monty Khanna, a former rear admiral in the Indian navy, said that the scale at which China had been training was "unprecedented."

And these satellite images show just how expansive it is.

The next set of satellite images reveal a mock-up of the Yokosuka Naval Base — America's largest naval base in Japan and one which would almost certainly be used in the event of a Taiwan contingency.

The US has more than 55,000 troops stationed in Japan — the largest number outside the US — as part of a security treaty between the two countries.

Experts previously told The Telegraph that the US forces especially in southern Japan would be the "tip of the spear" in a US response to a Chinese invasion.

As part of the Destroyer Squadron 15, there are 10 Arleigh Burke-class ships permanently stationed at Yokosuka.

"It's one of the most important US bases. If China attacked Taiwan, the Yokosuka Naval Base would presumably be involved so they include a model of Yokosuka for anti-access aerial denial drills," Lu Li-shih, a former lieutenant commander in Taiwan's navy, told The Telegraph.

Satellite images show mock-ups of warships stationed at the fake naval base.

Thomas Shugart, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security and a former US Navy submarine commander, identified a crater next to the fake warships, likely caused by a ballistic missile. The vessels were damaged in further strikes.

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The Author of the Future

The Author of the Future

Daymond Duck

God said He knows the end from the beginning and that He declares what has not yet come.

He added that He will do what He wants to do, and that His counsel will stand (Isa. 46:10).

I believe that His ability to reveal the future proves that He is God because He has given hundreds of signs (the return of Israel, the rebuilding of Jerusalem, etc.) that demonstrate His ability (even though some of the prophecies are more than 2,000 years old).

Think about it: God revealed the exact day the Messiah would arrive the first time (173,880 days from the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem; Dan. 9:25; Neh. 2:1-8).

How did He know?

This is the point: If God revealed the exact day the Messiah was coming the first time, it should be pretty easy for us to believe that the signs of Messiah’s Second Coming are accurate.

I believe current events are proof positive that He is God and He is the Author of the Future.

Here are some recent articles that seem to indicate that the end of the age is close.

One, concerning wars and rumors of wars: on July 16, the U.S. attacked Iran’s bridges and railroads.

Iran has said that if their infrastructure is hit by the U.S., then Iran will target every last piece of infrastructure of countries in the Middle East assisting the U.S.

Iran specifically cited oil infrastructure.

One reader reminded me that:

• Yemen is on standby to close the Red Sea if the US were to bomb Iran’s infrastructure.
• The bombs happened!
• Saudi Arabia and Yemen are at odds, to complicate matters.
• Moreover, Pakistan has a protection umbrella agreement with Saudi Arabia.

Two, concerning an increase in the frequency and intensity of natural disasters at the end of the age: officials are reporting that more than 10,000 people died above expected levels across Europe during the record-breaking late-June heatwave.

More: On July 16, 2026, Texas was bracing for record-shattering rainfall.

More: Millions of Americans are under air quality alerts this week as more than 800 wildfires continue to rage across Canada. The wildfires are not due to a single cause and can be exacerbated by seasonal conditions, including drought and warm weather. Some were sparked by lightning, which can strike hard-to-reach areas of Canada’s forests and is responsible for most of the total area burned in Canada.

More: Governor Patrick Morrisey declared a State of Emergency for all 55 counties in West Virginia on July 21, after severe thunderstorms produced flash flooding, landslides, road closures, and other hazardous conditions across the state. Flooding has surpassed record levels.

Three, concerning all nations turning against Israel at the end of the age: on July 15, 2026, a majority of House Democrats casting a yes-or-no vote supported cutting off funds designated for Israel, marking one of the clearest signs yet that the Democratic Party is shifting away from its longstanding support for the Jewish state.

Four, concerning the Battle of Gog of Magog and Russia’s desire for a spoil and a prey in Israel (Ezek. 38:12): on July 20, 2026, it was reported that “due to the extensive damage Ukrainian drones have inflicted on refineries deep inside Russian territory, Russia has begun importing refined petroleum products – primarily gasoline – from India.”

Russia is beginning to need energy, and Israel has it.

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Global Travel as a Sign of the End

PROPHETIC VELOCITY–Global Travel as a Sign of the End

POSTED BY: NEW AMERICAN PROPHET

Are you living with a constant, nagging anxiety as you watch the dizzying speed of our modern world, wondering if history is spinning out of control? In the eye-opening class "ONE OF THE SIGNS OF THE END—UNIVERSAL GLOBAL TRAVEL," you will experience a profound spiritual transformation by learning to view our fast-paced era through the lens of divine design. John Barnett takes us on a breathtaking 3,000-year journey through history.

From King David and Solomon, to the Apostle Paul, Christopher Columbus, and even Benjamin Franklin, human travel remained virtually unchanged for millennia—relying entirely on wooden boats, wind sails, and horses. Yet, in just the last century, humanity abruptly leaped from wooden ships to routine, intercontinental flights that cross oceans in mere hours.

Through this study, your perspective on daily life will be radically transformed. You will discover that this sudden, massive explosion of global movement is not a secular coincidence. It is the precise, literal fulfillment of Daniel 12:4, which declared that at the "time of the end," "many shall run to and fro".

Seeing this ancient prophecy leap off the page and onto our modern airport runways turns abstract theology into deep, personal heart-conviction.

The ticking of the global clock is not a countdown to doom, but a glorious signal of our Savior’s imminent return.

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A Coming Energy Shock?

Are You Ready for the Coming Energy Shock?

John Leake

The United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) was established in response to the 1973–1974 Arab oil embargo, which followed the Yom Kippur War and caused oil prices to quadruple, thereby exposing America’s vulnerability to disruptions of foreign supplies. The image below shows cars lining up to buy gas during the 1973-74 crisis because many gas stations ran out of inventory.

Enacted through the Energy Policy and Conservation Act of 1975 under President Gerald Ford, the SPR was conceived to mitigate the economic and national-security impacts of severe petroleum supply interruptions caused by geopolitical turmoil or natural disasters.

The SPR also fulfills U.S. obligations under the International Energy Agency’s coordinated emergency response system, requiring member countries to maintain strategic stocks equivalent to at least 90 days of net imports.

By storing a large, government-controlled inventory of crude oil—authorized at up to 714 million barrels and stored in underground salt caverns along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coast—the reserve acts as a buffer supply that can begin entering the market within roughly 13 days of a presidential order.

Construction and filling of the four SPR sites began in the late 1970s. Inventory grew steadily through the 1980s and 1990s, with intermittent drawdowns for hurricanes, pipeline disruptions, and limited sales.

Levels peaked near 727 million barrels in the late 2000s before declines from congressionally mandated sales and exchanges. A major drawdown occurred in 2022 under the Biden administration in response to the Russia-Ukraine war, reducing stocks significantly; subsequent refill efforts partially restored inventory, leaving roughly 415 millionbarrels in mid-February 2026.

The military operation against Iran that commenced in late February 2026—widely described as a U.S.-Israeli campaign—triggered the largest coordinated release of strategic stocks in IEA history.

In March 2026, IEA members agreed to make 400 million barrels available, with the United States committing 172 million barrels from the SPR, largely structured as loans or exchanges under which companies repay the crude plus a premium.

As of the week ending July 17 2026, SPR inventories had fallen to 311.4 million barrels—the lowest level since March 1983.

This is a cumulative drawdown of approximately 104 million barrels since the conflict began, equivalent to roughly one-quarter of the pre-war stockpile and a reduction of more than 18 percent from early-2026 levels.

Weekly draws have frequently exceeded several million barrels, driving the reserve well below its long-term average and raising questions about remaining operational margins, cavern integrity, and the ability to respond to another crisis.

In short, the SPR remains a cornerstone of U.S. energy security policy, born of the lessons of 1973 and repeatedly tested by subsequent shocks. The 2026 Iran conflict has subjected it to one of its most sustained and substantial drawdowns, illustrating both its utility as a short-term price and supply stabilizer and the limits of even the world’s largest emergency oil stockpile when geopolitical disruptions prove prolonged.

Most Americans who are alive today have grown so accustomed to cheap, readily available energy that they take it completely for granted. As soon as the Strategic Petroleum Reserve draws down, thereby removing the buffer, this country will face a marked reduction of available fuel products, with an array of severe negative consequences for the real economy, including outright fuel shortages and significant inflation of food costs.

An energy shock will also imperil the gazillions of CAPEX investment in A.I., which absolutely requires cheap and plentiful energy.

I hope I am wrong, but I fear that this country (and the entire West) will soon be facing a severe economic and financial crisis.

White House Pushes Back On NYT Report Of Pause In Military Escalation, Says US 'All Options' Against Iran

White House Pushes Back On NYT Report Of Pause In Military Escalation, Says US ‘All Options’ Against Iran

The White House pushed back Saturday after a New York Times report said President Donald Trump had shelved plans to significantly escalate military operations against Iran, emphasizing that the president continues to keep all options on the table.

“President Trump has always been consistent in saying he prefers a diplomatic solution, but he continues to retain all options if Iran continues terrorist activities in the Strait of Hormuz or against allies,” White House Communications Director Steven Cheung told Fox News Digital.

Cheung added that, after “successful sanctions that have crippled Iran’s economy and 13 straight days of strikes against military targets in response to their repeated aggression, it would be wise for Iran to work towards a negotiated deal. Otherwise, they know what will happen.”

The statement comes in response to a New York Times report that Trump has, for now, held off on a broader military campaign against Iran after advisors raised concerns about expanding the conflict.

'Disgraceful': ICC Prosecutor Behind Netanyahu Warrant That Fueled Mamdani Arrest Calls Fired

The International Criminal Court prosecutor whose arrest warrant against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu became central to New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s threat to arrest the Israeli leader was dismissed Friday after member states voted to remove him over sexual misconduct allegations.

Karim Khan, the ICC’s chief prosecutor, was removed after a vote by the Assembly of States Parties, the court’s 125-member governing body, following disciplinary proceedings tied to allegations involving a junior female staffer in his office. Khan has denied wrongdoing.

The decision marked the first time in the ICC’s history that a sitting chief prosecutor has been removed from office. Khan’s removal comes days after Secretary of State Marco Rubio launched a U.S. campaign to “dismantle” the ICC, accusing the court of threatening American sovereignty.

Khan became one of the world’s most controversial prosecutors after pursuing ICC arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. The ICC issued the warrants in November 2024, prompting fierce condemnation from Israel and the United States, neither of which is a member of the court.

The warrants also became a flashpoint in New York politics after Mamdani repeatedly invoked the ICC case against Netanyahu. Mamdani said during his campaign that he would seek to arrest Netanyahu if the Israeli prime minister came to New York, and later acknowledged as mayor that the city lacks authority to enforce the warrant while calling on the federal government to do so.

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