Posted on 01/12/2026 10:21:10 AM PST by E. Pluribus Unum
U.S. military superiority may delay Beijing's worst ambitions
In our 50-year-long twilight struggle with the Soviet Union, it was often said — especially by those who leaned politically rightward — that the U.S. overestimated the capabilities of the Russians and consistently underestimated their threat.
It was a short way of communicating that the Red Army looked a lot more imposing than it really was, but at the same time, the goals of the Russians were more ambitious than we appreciated.
The recent strike on Venezuela made me think about that bit of received wisdom.
It has been reported that the U.S. armed forces involved in the attack on Caracas included the Delta Force, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group, B-1 bombers, F-35s, F-22s, F/A-18s and on and on. On the other side were Venezuelan forces outfitted with Chinese and Russian equipment specifically designed and intended to prevent airplanes from flying over one’s nation. Those systems obviously failed.
More specifically, the Chinese radar system that failed is the JY-27A system that the slaving, genocidal communist regime in China pitched to its clients in Caracas as being able to detect stealthy aircraft. That’s important if you’re trying to keep stealth jets (such as the F-35 and F-22) and stealthy bombers (such as the B-1 and B-2 and eventually the B-21) out of your airspace and away from your soldiers or facilities on the ground.
On Jan. 3, however, it became obvious that the Chinese system and the Russian missile defense systems were of very limited value compared with American hardware, soldiers, airmen and sailors.
In the wake of the successful attack by the United States, there has been a lot of talk about who might be next and which nations should be nervous. Cuba? Sure. Colombia? Eventually. Iran? Always.
The commentariat, with notable exceptions (including...)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Dear FRiends,
We need your continuing support to keep FR funded. Your donations are our sole source of funding. No sugar daddies, no advertisers, no paid memberships, no commercial sales, no gimmicks, no tax subsidies. No spam, no pop-ups, no ad trackers.
If you enjoy using FR and agree it's a worthwhile endeavor, please consider making a contribution today:
Click here: to donate by Credit Card
Or here: to donate by PayPal
Or by mail to: Free Republic, LLC - PO Box 9771 - Fresno, CA 93794
Thank you very much and God bless you,
Jim
The PLA is a Tenu force. It’s junk.
Lol. The ability to bribe the enemy to stand down is commendable, but what it has to do with military capabilities?
Pretty much that. If your air defense equipment is ordered to not be used, then it’s not going to work well.
None of those helicopters should have returned to their ships. And none would have if anyone actually shot at them.
Not to buy crap made in CHYna.
What’s a Tenu force? couldn’t find online.
.
Strike while the iron is hot and get the mullahs out of Iran and communists out of Cuba. Don’t waffle now, this opportunity may not come again for 50 years.
I wonder—has anyone who believes the official story ever seen a Chinook?
It’s pretty much up near the top military strategies: Win without fighting.
Temu is a Chinese online market that sells junk. Think of a “Dollar Tree Amazon.”
Sure, but it is not in the article.
Never underestimate your enemy. I think Sun Tzu or someone else said that.
I am actually more interested in the sonic weapons we used.
Folks around here used to be supportive of US might. Now the bots want you to think we are weak. And some of us are.
“The PLA is a Tenu force. It’s junk.”
I was surprised at the good quality of items we have gotten from Temu.
Oh it’s more extreme that that.
No one would have ordered their troops to climb in those things had they not been assured no one would shoot.
“Temu is a Chinese online market that sells junk. Think of a “Dollar Tree Amazon.””
I have ordered several items from Temu. My wife, many.
Their items, generally are NOT junk.
Items I bought and use on a daily basis with no problems:
Large tire garden cart with removable sides
Small tool cabinet on wheels
Waterproof tape
Computer table with electric height adjustment
Thanks. I’m cancelling my air defense order at TEMU. I’m always concerned about trailer park security but this seems like a waste of our money.
Ho lretty much that. If your air defense equipment is ordered to not be used, then it’s not going to work well.
None of those helicopters should have returned to their ships. And none would have if anyone actually shot at them.”
Interesting thought but not reasonable. We would not rely on their word to not shoot.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.