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Posted on 03/15/2008 8:02:57 AM PDT by Fennie
The latest Pentagon report on China is a sobering tale of advancing capability and agression intentions inside Beijing. The report also illustrates newly developed weapons being fielded by the Chinese military based in part on advanced technology exported by the United States.
"China has the most active ballistic missile program in the world. It is developing and testing offensive missiles, forming additional missile units, qualitatively upgrading certain missile systems, and developing methods to counter ballistic missile defenses," notes the 2008 Defense Department report.
"By November 2007, the PLA had deployed between 990 and 1,070 CSS-6 and CSS-7 short range ballistic missiles (SRBM) to garrisons opposite Taiwan. It is increasing the size of this force at a rate of more than 100 missiles per year, including variants of these missiles with improved ranges, accuracies, and payloads," states the report.
The ominous deployment of over 1,000 missiles was predicted over a decade ago based on the building of bases and facilities to house these missiles. In addition, a new series of Chinese ballistic missiles appear to be aimed directly at the U.S. Navy.
"China is developing an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) based on a variant of the CSS-5 medium-range ballistic missile (MRBM) as a component of its anti-access strategy. The missile has a range in excess of 1,500 km and, when incorporated into a sophisticated command and control system, is a key component of China's anti-access strategy to provide the PLA the capability to attack ships at sea, including aircraft carriers, from great distances.
"This capability would have particular significance, as it would provide China with preemptive and coercive options in a regional crisis."
The Chinese missile warheads -- according to the Defense Department report -- are now equipped with advanced radars that can detect and home in on warships as they descend from space. Ironically, the technology required to modify these missiles into carrier-killers was exported during the Clinton administration...
Right now, China spends a vast amount of money on its navy, with its sights set on the US. Hoping to become #2 behind us.
Thus, the best way we can interfere with China, is to change their focus of development. The way to do this is to sell the mothballed aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk to India.
The Indians are good shipbuilders and expert at reverse engineering. This would mean that soon, *they* would become the world’s number #2 naval power with the Kitty Hawk, and clones of the Kitty Hawk. China would have to catch up to them.
India is a *local* threat to China, which would mean that the enormous sums the Chinese are spending on naval development would have to be doubled or tripled, just to catch up to the Indians. Instead of being focused on the US, they would have to focus on the Indian navy in their backyard.
And this is money that couldn’t be used for the rest of their military infrastructure. The only aircraft carrier technology that China has is based on the Russian aircraft carrier Varyag, a third of the size of our top carriers, so it will be extremely hard to even catch up with sheer numbers to even the Kitty Hawk class.
To make matters worse, the Japanese are now getting into the act, making it clear that China will have them to contend with as well, if it attempts the conquest of Taiwan.
Why Johnnie, you sound like you're defending Barack.
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I'm sure they know that if there's low foreign attendance that it's not necessarily due to Tibet, Falong Gong, religious freedoms, freedom of thought, hazardous quality of products, forced abortions, environmental pollution, or a military arms race.
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