Aug 12, 2016 – Vietnam has discreetly fortified several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking China’s runways and military installations across the vital trade route, according to Western officials. br Diplomats and military officers told Reuters that intelligence shows Hanoi has shipped the launchers from the Vietnamese mainland into position on five bases in the Spratly islands in recent months, a move likely to raise tensions with Beijing. br br The launchers have been hidden from aerial surveillance and they have yet to be armed, but could be made operational with rocket artillery rounds within two or three days, according to the three sources. br br Vietnam’s Foreign Ministry said the information was “inaccurate”, without elaborating. br br These rocket launchers are now close enough to hit targets on Chinese-controlled islands in the disputed area, according to the military officers and diplomats who spoke to Reuters. br br Vietnam’s fortification of its islands over the last few months is in response to a Chinese buildup of various military installations on the islands it controls, according to Carl Thayer, an official at the Australian Defence Force Academy specializing in Vietnam’s military. br br “China’s runways and military installations in the Spratlys are a direct challenge to Vietnam, particularly in their southern waters and skies, and they are showing they are prepared to respond to that threat.” br br Thayer says that China, however, is unlikely to perceive the rocket transfer as a defensive move, meaning increased militarization of the area may be imminent. br br The rocket launchers Vietnam has moved into the islands are part of an elaborate artillery system purchased from Israel, according to military officials.