China has the best infrastructure in the world for a country of its low economic standing. They are spending close to $200b on defense per year. I expect they will spend it well. China’s not the first country to lose a sub with all hands while on peacetime maneuvers, and it won’t be the last. The sub that sank was a 50 year-old design and built at least 20 years prior to the accident. In other words, it was a dinosaur doing what old equipment occasionally does - malfunction in critical ways. In contrast, the USS Thresher was a 3 year old boat when it sank in 1963, while the USS Scorpion was a 9 year old boat when it sank in 1968. F-22’s have crashed due to oxygen-related malfunctions, but no one calls that the result of a readiness problem. The writer’s being way too glib in his conclusions.
Sir, With all due respect, I think you missed the central point. Spending 200 billion on a military where every order from company sized units up is a matter of an open debate between the military officer on the scene and the communist party officer on the scene is, to use an anatomical comparison, rather like the surgeon intentionally sewing the scissors into the patients gut following an operation. This we KNOW is not a good plan and rational rational people can predict that the patient will not perform very well when he tries to get up off the table.
In the instant case, an Army debating orders from the top down is doomed in the lightning speed of modern warfare. Anyone questioning this Should just Talk to any SURVIVIVING OFFICERS in Husseins Army.
On the Thresher, that incident occurred in 63 on a brand new nuclear powered submarine in DEEP WATER while on sea trials not a few miles offshore on a mature diesel boat. Our enemies can fantasize to the contrary all they want but it is doubtful the US Navy was having any “crew” issues on Thresher. You are correct that new experimental military equipment like the Raptor and the Thresher (in 63) are inherently dangerous. Mature diesel boats offshore are not comparable to the Raptor or brand new nuclear powered submarines back in 63.
Finally, Marxist/Lenists/Socialists do not have a history of being efficient with other people’s money. History tells us that it is much more likely that sizable portions of the 200 billion are ending up in private foreign accounts. You can Google up ample recent examples of “Chinese” corruption and execution of those involved.
You say the “the writer” is being “way to glib in his conclusions”. With all due respect to you sir, and in my opinion, you are being “way to glib in your comparisons” of a Third World “Political military” to the most modern and experienced and “professional” military on the planet.