Posted on 05/20/2005 8:09:59 AM PDT by ComtedeMaistre
Every day, the economic power and political influence of Red China continues to increase. I am, however, interested in knowing how powerful China is militarily. Is China strong enough to defeat the US in a conventional war? The latest I heard is that they have a total of 10 million trained to serve in their military, including reserves. I would especially like to hear from Freeper veterans as well as those serving in the military, on the potential threat that China poses to the United States.
I don't necessarily agree with that, Dave. I think it's based on the assumption that all people in all cultures share the same values. I don't believe that's true. For example, many muslims in many countries do not share the same ideas about freedom, democracy, material goods, etc, that we do. Their main goal is to have everyone become islamic throughout the world. If we don't understand that there are fundamental differences in various cultures, we will be caught by surprised when other people don't act like WE would, or are not grateful for our "help". In fact, much of the world hates us and it's not because they're envious of us - it's because we interfer too much with them and they don't like our values that they see.
Remember, the Chinese have already given up on the Communism thing, which used to serve as their state religion.
SD
The answer to that can be found by answering the following question: "Is the moral fiber of China superior to the U.S.?"
No it couldn't.
If bodies were that important, Mexico would be a formidable military power.
The pro-illegal Republicans are not planning for some far off Sino-American conflict, they are responding to the incessant and immediate demands of business interests wanting cheap labor to exploit.
I think Lincoln said it best. No foreign power will ever be able to take a drink from the Mississippi with out our permission.
Don't discount the Taiwanese. They don't have the size but they will definitely take the war to the mainland if they start something. They are for sure more motivated and professional. If the chicoms attack us. NATO is supposed to come to our aid. Whether we would want them to is another question.
China knows they can't win militarily. Now or in the future. The price is just to high. And thats not just in human terms.
bttt
Or even Taiwan for that matter. Not unless they used nuclear weapons against Taiwan.
Which is why the USAF is trying to get Bush to sign a bill for space weapons. I hope it passes. Space will be our ultimate trump card against China/North Korea/Russia.
That and millions of troops conscripted peasents requires A LOT of ammo, food, supplies, fuel. Supply vehicles, fleet oilers, all of them nice target practice for some Harpoons and/or torpedoes.
That and millions of troops conscripted peasents requires A LOT of ammo, food, supplies, fuel. Supply vehicles, fleet oilers, all of them nice target practice for some Harpoons and/or torpedoes. They would need even MORE troops to protect their supply chain. In the end, China's land army is going nowhere.
They are no match militarily for us right now. But the ChiComs and their buddies the free traitors, western europeans, russians, leftists are trying to fix that by giving them the money and technology.
Quote: ROFL..I'd guarantee you the juvenile fantasy of a Chinese invasion of the US mainland hasn't even been remotely gamed by anyone in the US miltary.
I can't believe that the Pentagon does not have war game sceanarios happening 10-15-20 years down the road with something like this happening. I'm sure they had scenarios with Russia why not a china od 2015 or 2020??
Besides I never said a full scale invasion. Part of my response "Red Dawn' was in Jest to the other posters reply about China building up support in South America.
I agree China of today could not do so but 10-20 years from now may be another matter.
BTW: There was a Pentagon scenario in 2003 that had a limited chinese invasion from the south that disrupted America while we were undergoing another 911 style of attack in cordination with China attacking Taiwan at the same time.
You prove to me that the Pentagon does not have some sort of contingency plan for a chinese invasion of America. If they did not they should be fired.
BTW: I know was logistics is and understand the importance.
So under your post name Strategerist are you a Pentagon planner or just another armchair amatuer. What makes you so more knowledgable on what the Pentagon does or does not have??
A nuclear armed Taiwan would be the key to stopping this mess before it begins. A shame that our government was misguided when Taiwan's nuclear program was stopped by us in the 1970s(?). But who knows. Their use of plutonium reactors puts them in the same "Nuclear Power in a day" status as Japan.
And the Taiwanese are trained extensivly and equipped by us as well as their own technologically advanced weapons. Assauming the Chinese even LANDED on Taiwan, such a guerilla war would make China's Vietnam adventure in the 1970s look like a happy go fun party.
Good point. The military plans for ALL contengencies that are possible, no matter how remote the possibility.
Thanks Paul
What a relief. I thought our military planned more than what Stratergerist said they did.
I would nor be surprised the Red Dawn scenario was not at one time a war game that got out or written by a "consultant" from the DOD.
Yes, I don't think it will ever happen but like you said the military plans every little contingency.
I think if it actually happened, the press would react differently than the way you might expect. For one, you have a giant autocratic communist/capitalist regime invading a teeny island that supplies 90% or more of the guts of our computers and electronics.
For China to succeed in taking Taiwan, they would likely have to hit the island so hard that it would massively disrupt the island and the damage would spill over into civilian sections of the island.
It would be very difficult to make a case that Taiwan isn't strategically important. Again something that most certainly Fox, the Blogosphere, and talk radio would hammer. Every talking head that the perky Katie could find would be saying something similar.
Then there are the Japanese, who would be ejecting highly compressed pre-owned rice cakes into their trou. They'd be demanding action from us had we NOT acted.
The whole event would be the 'see I told you so' to buttress all of the talk about China being the next big idiot. Blame from the MSM would come from all sides on how it was all W's fault for allowing the Chinese to bridge so much of the military capability gap between us and them, blah, blah.
It would mean that we'd be fighting on two fronts again, and it might also mean a draft.
The Bush I doctrine is that, to paraphrase, that the days of one sovereign nation invading another sovereign nation for the purpose of conquest, ala Kuwait, are over permanently. China invading Taiwan would be a clear violation of that, and moreover, the South Koreans would be as nervous as the Japanese.
I think it would be the 'Hitler invades Poland/Austria' moment of history in the Pacific.
No problem. We even have war plans for fighting against our own allies (the War Plan Color Code may be old but I would not doubt we still plan for it especially with germany and france trying to sell China an alternative to our GPS system along with several other "toys.").
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