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Feb.01 (China Military Newx cited from Bloomberg and written by Viola Gienger and Tony Capaccio) — The U.S. military is drawing up a new air-sea battle plan in response to threats such as China’s persistent military build-up and Iran’s possession of advanced weapons, according to the Pentagon’s latest strategy review.

The Air Force and Navy are seeking more effective ways of ensuring continued access to the western Pacific and countering potential threats to American bases and personnel, according to the Quadrennial Defense Review to be released later today.

The joint Air Force-Navy plan would combine the strengths of each service to conduct long-range strikes that could utilize a new generation of bombers, a new cruise missile and drones launched from aircraft carriers. The Navy also is increasing funding to develop an unmanned underwater vehicle, according to the report.

Z-9 Helicopter and anti-submarine torpedo

The battle plan is among a range of new initiatives outlined in the review, which is conducted every four years to revise U.S. military strategy for the coming decade or more. The new report places top priority on the fights in Afghanistan and Iraq and against terrorist threats elsewhere, while also preparing for future threats.

“This is truly a wartime QDR,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in a cover letter for the report. “For the first time, it places the current conflicts at the top of our budgeting, policy and program priorities.”

Two-War Capability

The review deemphasizes but does not abandon the Pentagon’s doctrine that calls for the military to be able to fight two major wars nearly simultaneously. It acknowledges this mission but says planning should focus more closely on other scenarios, such as irregular warfare including conflicts involving insurgents or drug traffickers and even humanitarian disasters.

“In the mid- to long-term, U.S. military forces must plan and prepare to prevail in a broad range of operations that may occur in multiple theaters in overlapping time frames,” the Defense Department says in the review.

Air-defense missile of PLA Navy Type 052B Destroyer

“This includes maintaining the ability to prevail against two capable nation-state aggressors,” it states.

Alluding to China in his cover letter, Gates cites longer- term threats such as “the military modernization programs of other countries.” He also hints at dangers such as al-Qaeda in referring to “non-state groups developing more cunning and destructive means to attack the United States and our allies and partners.”

Tensions With China

U.S. officials have often called on their Chinese counterparts to provide explanations and assurances that their moves are purely defensive. The two countries resumed military talks last June, then China halted visits again over the Defense Department’s Jan. 29 announcement of a new arms sale to Taiwan.

China is developing and deploying “large numbers” of advanced missiles, new attack submarines, long-range air defense systems and capabilities to wage electronic warfare and target computer systems, according to the report, which echoes an assessment of China’s military power issued almost a year ago.

China’s refusal to provide adequate assurances of its intentions raises “a number of legitimate questions regarding its long-term intentions,” the Pentagon says in the review.

Citing “more complex” security conditions in the region, including North Korea and terrorist threats in Southeast Asia, the review calls for “a more widely distributed” and flexible U.S. presence in Asia that relies more on allies. Partners would include Australia, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam.

Threat From Iran

In the Middle East, Iran is fielding small attack boats in the Persian Gulf, a development that U.S. officials have cited in the past. That compounds the threat to naval operations from the acquisition by Iran and other nations of weapons such as quiet submarines and advanced cruise missiles that can target ships, according to the report.

Iran also has provided drones and shoulder-fired missiles to the Islamic militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Russia and other nations have contributed to the spread of surface-to- air missiles, the department said.

Among the solutions proposed are more ways to deploy U.S. forces abroad, such as naval assets, “in regions facing new challenges.” Existing bases also need to be either hardened to protect against potential attacks or reinforced with back-up locations or by dispersing them in multiple places, the department concluded.

The Pentagon has about 400,000 U.S. military personnel stationed overseas, either in war zones or elsewhere. The review emphasizes “taking care of our people” serving in multiple long deployments that take a “significant toll” on them and their families.

Other Concerns

In addition to supporting existing wars, the Quadrennial review emphasizes the need for more unmanned aircraft, intelligence, special forces, helicopters and long-range strike capabilities as well as skills such as foreign languages and training of foreign military forces.

PLA Army Type 05 SPH

The U.S. military, especially the Navy and Air Force, also should find better and faster ways to strengthen the defense systems of foreign allies and partners as needed, the Pentagon said.

The Pentagon should continue to maintain a nuclear arsenal as a “core mission” until “such time as the administration’s goal of a world free of nuclear weapons is achieved,” according to the report.

The potential threat of cyber attacks and the need to conduct “high-tempo operations” will require more expertise in that field and centralized command of cyber operations, the department said.

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By admin

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China has signaled to set up foreign military bases including one in Pakistan, a Chinese government website said.

“Setting up overseas military bases is not an idea we have to shun; on the contrary, it is our right…it is baseless to say that we will not set up any military bases in future because we have never sent troops abroad,” said the report.

The report also said, “As for the military aspect, we should be able to conduct the retaliatory attack within the country or at the neighbouring area of our potential enemies. We should also be able to put pressure on the potential enemies’ overseas interests. With further development, China will be in great demand of the military protection”.

It is clearly aimed at piling up pressure on India and to counter US influence in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“As for the military aspect, we should be able to conduct the retaliatory attack within the country or at the neighboring area of our potential enemies. We should also be able to put pressure on the potential enemies’ overseas interests. With further development, China will be in great demand of the military protection,” said the report.

A military base in Pakistan will help China keep a check on Uighurs who are fighting for an independent nation in Xinjiang, which borders the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/China-mulls-military-bases-in-Pakistan/H1-Article1-502952.aspx

By polaris

originally published at china-defense-mashup.com

December.27 (China Military News cited from Global Times) — China’s military strength ranks second in the world in terms of expenditure, the number of troops and weaponry, according to a report released Thursday by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS).

The data provokes many questions from scholars and the public, though the government think tank emphasized the ranking was just based on selected factors and is not a comparison of real military power of the concerned countries.

The fleet of Chinese Navy’s 4 Project 956 Sovremenny class destroyers

The US, Japan and Germany rank as the top three in terms of comprehensive national strength and China is in seventh place, according to the Report on Comprehensive National Power Assessment, which evaluated the militaries of 11 countries, including seven Western countries and Brazil, Russia, India and China, the so-called BRICs.

The evaluation index includes five direct constituent elements – territory and natural resources, population, economy, military and science and technology – and four influencing factors – social development, sustainability, security and domestic politics and international contributions, it said.

KJ-2000 and KJ-200 AWACS aircrafts displayed in one Airport

To the surprise of many, China’s military power ranks second, with a total score of 33.3, behind the US, which scores 90.08, and just ahead of Russia, with 31.08.
“The high rank of China is mainly because it gets a higher score in terms of troop numbers and equipment,” the report said.

The Human Development Report 2007-2008, released by the UN, showed that the size of China’s military is the largest in the world, with 2.25 million troops, far more than the US’ 1.5 million.

The report cites Wikipedia as saying, China’s weaponry ranks third worldwide in terms of amount of equipment, with 240 nuclear weapons, 7,580 tanks, 1,700 fighter planes, 144 naval ships, and eight nuclear submarines, far less than that of Russia, which tops the list with 13,000 nuclear weapons and 22,800 tanks.

There was much speculation about China’s military expenditure, with foreign institutes giving much higher estimates. The report, citing data from the National Bureau of Statistics, said China’s spending last year was $60.9 billion, below that of the US, France and the UK.

Ground Staffs’ Maintenance of PLA Air Force J-8D Fighter

Li Shaojun, a researcher with the CASS, told the Global Times that the US’ $607 billion expenditure last year was 132 percent higher than that of the other 10 countries studied.

Military expert Song Xiaojun said the military ranking, based on three indexes, is not persuasive as China’s military power is far from being in second place.

“China’s defense construction still falls behind the development of the national economy.” Song said. “If we are the second power, does it mean there is no need for us to develop our economy?”

Xu Guangyu, a member of the government-backed China Arms Control and Disarmament Association, expressed reservations toward the ranking as he thinks it should be evaluated historically and dynamically, instead of only using static data such as current military expenditure.

The missile reload of “RIF” air defense system of Type 051C Destroyer

“It’s more reasonable to put China after Russia,” General Xu said.

The report gives 60 percent weight to military expenditure and 20 percent to the number of troops and weaponry.

The idea is echoed by Ni Lexiong, a professor in the Politics Department of Shanghai University of Political Science and Law, who pointed to the problem of the abuse of military spending.

“If the expenditure was all used to boost China’s military strength, it could be taken as a reliable factor to evaluate China’s military status,” Ni said, adding that the indexes such as the number of troops and weapons should only be used for ancient times, as they are unreliable and inefficient for the evaluation of modern military strength.

According to the report, the quality of weaponry owned by the 11 nations is not accounted for, as it is impossible to evaluate, though the report admits that there is a big difference in terms of performance.

“The more rational ranking should include indexes such as air assault capacity, military soft power and military theory,” Ni said.

A poll Thursday on huanqiu.com showed that 85.2 percent of nearly 1,800 participants believed the report overestimated China’s military strength, while only 12 percent agreed with the ranking. 43.1 percent supported the seventh-place ranking of China’s comprehensive national strength, with 35.6 percent and 21.3 percent saying it is higher or lower, respectively.

Li Shaojun, also a co-author of the military part of the report, conceded that he is aware that the result will be met with many challenges from the public, but that an explanation has been given as to how the evaluation was carried out.

“It is just the result of a study which has some strategic value. But it can’t be used to fit the reality,” Li said.

Gao Hua, a deputy researcher with the CASS who also participated in the study, stressed that the report does not intend to draw a conclusion on how China’s military power should be ranked globally. Instead, it attempts to explore the relevance between increasing military expenditure and the global financial downturn.

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By admin

via Taiwan wants elite force to protect island: report (AFP via Yahoo! News).

Taiwan’s president has urged the island’s armed forces to become a small, elite unit, saying a voluntary military rather than conscription was key to the island’s defence, local media said Thursday…

via Report: China’s After U.S. Secrets, Technology (Dark Reading).

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission notes a ‘marked increase in cyber intrusions originating in China and targeting U.S. government and defense-related computer system’

ONI: Chinese SSBNs Much Noisier than 1970s-era Soviet Boats: “Or at least that the conclusion that they’ve reached at FAS:

China’s new Jin-class ballistic missile submarine is noisier than the Russian Delta III-class submarines built more than 30 years ago, according to a report produced by the U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI).

I haven’t had a chance to read the original report, so can’t assess whether that’s a completely fair summary. This suggests, however, that China’s survivable second strike capability isn’t very survivable at all, and that as a practical deterrent the Jin class isn’t all that much better than the Xia. The effectiveness of the Jin as a deterrent against the United States is further limited by the fact that the effective range of the JL-2 SLBM would force the Jin to sortie well beyond Chinese home waters in order to threaten the continental US. Of course, targets in South Korea, Japan, Hawaii, and elsewhere would be well within the JL-2′s radius.

As Yankee Sailor noted a while back, ‘it’s not all about us.’ The Jin class aren’t a terribly compelling deterrent option against the United States, but they do lend prestige to the PRC, and remains relevant to China’s deterrent relationship with India and Russia.

Taiwan PM urges China to withdraw missiles: report (AFP via Yahoo! News): “Taiwan’s Premier Wu Den-yih has urged China to remove missiles targeting the island to pave the way for peace talks between the formal arch-rivals, according to a report.”

Yahoo! News

via US urged to press China on arms (Taipei Times).

In a major report scheduled to be released yesterday, a US congressional commission urges US President Barack Obama to encourage China to “demonstrate the sincerity of its desire for improved cross-strait relations by drawing down the number of forces, including missiles, opposite Taiwan.”

Pakistan rejects report of bomb-grade uranium from China (Space War): “Islamabad (AFP) Nov 13, 2009 – Pakistan on Friday angrily rejected a US newspaper report that China provided the nuclear-armed Muslim state with weapons grade uranium for two bombs in 1982.”

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Chinese military vessel arrives in Aden: report: “The visit of the Chinese military vessel to Aden port came as part of the joint bilateral cooperation between Yemen and China, particularly in fighting …

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Carrier Diversity Thursday: “Chinese Carriers Not the West’s Biggest Worry
The following quote is from the China Military Report blog. I have rephrased the translated text into better English, hoping to have kept the spirit of the statement:
As for the US-Japan Pacific League, the real threat from the Chinese armed forces is not the number of aircraft carriers, but the [...]

China Buildup Concerns Taiwan: “China is capable of deterring foreign militaries from assisting Taiwan if the two sides were to go to war, Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense said in a report.”

Statoil says could sell US assets: “Oslo (AFP) Oct 19, 2009 – Norwegian energy giant StatoilHydro said Monday it could sell some US oil assets in the Gulf of Mexico but declined to comment on a report that the prospective buyer would be China’s state-owned CNOOC.”

China Military Report: Lastest photos of China’s WZ-10 helicopter

China detects deadly nerve gas at border with North Korea: Report: “China has detected deadly nerve gas at its border with North Korea and suspects an accidental release inside the secretive state, a Japanese news report said on Friday.”

Taiwan in talks with Germany over four subs: report (Space War): “Taipei (AFP) Oct 7, 2009 – Taiwan is considering purchasing four German-built submarines that had been rejected by the Greek Navy, a report said Wednesday.”

Freeman Report September 2009 Issue – vol. 7, no. 9: “

Observers of cross-strait relations between Taiwan and mainland China are getting past their skepticism that a breakthrough in the pair’s economic relationship is afoot, and starting to examine the significance for the two and – directly and indirectly – for the United States. This is tricky analysis for a couple of reasons.

read more“

China slams US intelligence report: “China today hit out at new US intelligence guidelines which pointed to Beijing as one of Washington’s main challengers, accusing the United States of having a ‘Cold War mentality’.”