XBradTC

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.

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.

via www.reuters.com

The rockets are the Israeli "EXTRA" multiple launch rocket systems.

Which, it's interesting just how much cooperation there is between Vietnam and Israel.

That aside, the deployment (denied by Vietnam) of the system makes a lot of sense.

While the Chinese military presence in the Spratleys can coerce regional players in peacetime, raising tensions and always threatening escalation, the islands themselves are highly vulnerable should a shooting war erupt.

Mind you, the islands aren't the real threat. The real threat is that should Vietnam be forced to engage the islands, the PLA will then expand the war and actually attack Vietnam across their shared border, or impose a blockade on Haiphong (and what do you want to bet it wouldn't take them 8 years to make the decision to mine the harbor?).