Friday, August 26, 2011

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China's Military - Details Of The Pentagon Report

DTN News - CHINA DEFENSE NEWS: China's Military - Details Of The Pentagon Report
**The Pentagon has released a new report claiming that China is working to expand its military. Here are some of the details of the report:
**US Military Report On China Fails To Acknowledge Beijing's Defense Policy As Peace Oriented
DTN Canada Source: DTN News - - This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources Telegraph.co.uk & Xinhuanet.com
(NSI News Source Info) TORONTO, Canada - August 26, 2011: China has expressed disappointment over the US Department of Defense's (DoD) annual report on the state of its military, insisting that the report still fails to acknowledge that China's defense policy is peace oriented.
The recent defense report titled 'Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China' says that the country has made "modest, but incremental, improvements in the transparency of its military and security affairs," adding that the United States is "uncertain about how China will use its growing capabilities."
According to Xinhua, America's concern regarding China's military capabilities is a result of the expansion of China's naval power and the modernization of many military systems. However, China has once again insisted in its own defense whitepaper released this March that its National Defense Policy will never adopt an aggressive military policy.
Despite the fact that the U.S. is concerned about China's military policies, the difference in defense spending between the two countries is still quite large. For 2011, military spending by the United States is nearly eight times that of China. On a per person basis, the U.S. spends over 30 times the amount of China and with a GDP 2.5 times larger, the defense budget of the United States takes up roughly five percent of its GDP compared to 1.6 percent for China, the report said.
The 94-page report said China is developing anti-ship missiles that could target aircraft carriers while expanding the naval fleet, adding: "Following this period of ambitious acquisition, the decade from 2011 through 2020 will prove critical to the PLA (People's Liberation Army) as it attempts to integrated many new and complex platforms."
The Pentagon also warned Beijing has closed critical technological gaps and is rapidly modernizing its military equipment, all with an eye toward preventing possible US and allied intervention in a conflict with Taiwan.
However, the Chinese government says that the report interferes with the country's internal affairs by talking about cross-strait security issues between Chinese mainland and Taiwan.
Last year, the United States approved a 6.4 billion dollar weapons package for Taiwan that included Patriot Missiles, Black Hawk helicopters and communications equipment for F-16s. Arms sales to the island have always been a bone of contention between both the countries.
China's military: Details of the Pentagon report
The Pentagon has released a new report claiming that China is working to expand its military. Here are some of the details of the report:
TAIWAN
The report claims the China-Taiwan balance of military force "continues to shift in Beijing's favor."
It predicts China's People's Liberation Army is likely to steadily expand its military options for Taiwan through 2020, including those to deter, delay or deny "third party" intervention - a veiled reference to potential U.S. involvement in any conflict.
MISSILE CAPABILITIES
The People's Liberation Army is acquiring large numbers of highly accurate cruise missiles, many of which have ranges in excess of 115 miles.
China is also developing an anti-ship ballistic missile, the DF-21D, which has a range exceeding 930 miles and is armed with a maneuverable warhead.
China also may be developing a new road-mobile inter-continental ballistic missile.
However China's program to develop JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile, which has an estimated range of some 4,600 miles has faced repeated delays. The Pentagon had forecast it would achieve initial operating capability by 2010.
AIRCRAFT CARRIERS
China launched its first carrier for a maiden run earlier this month (above top right), a refitted former Soviet craft, but the Pentagon said it still will take several additional years for China to achieve a minimal level of combat capability on an aircraft carrier, given the level of training for carrier pilots."China likely will build multiple aircraft carriers with support ships over the next decade."
STEALTH FIGHTER JET
The report says the January test flight of China's stealth fighter jet, the J-20 (above bottom right), "highlights China's ambition to produce a fighter aircraft that incorporates stealth attributes, advanced avionics and super-cruise capable engines over the next several years." The US expects the J-20 to become operational by 2018.
It will give the PLA Air Force a platform capable of long-range, penetrating strikes into complex air defence environments.
REGIONAL REACTION
"China's growing economic, diplomatic and military presence and influence in Asia and globally is raising concern among many countries about China's ultimate aims - and the threats this could present to them. These regional concerns could catalyze regional or global balancing efforts."
"China is fielding an array of conventionally armed ballistic missiles, modern aircraft, UAVs, ground- and air-launched land-attack cruise missiles, special operations forces and cyber-warfare capabilities to hold targets at risk throughout the region."
GLOBAL POWER?
The report claims China is unlikely to be able to project and sustain large forces in high-intensity combat operations far from China prior to 2020. Still, it says by most accounts China is on track to achieve its goal of building a modern, regionally focused military by 2020.
China's territorial claim to virtually the entire South China Sea "remains a source of regional contention" and is contested by Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei. In the East China Sea, China also claims the Senkaku islands, which are controlled by Japan, in a long-standing dispute that caused tensions to flare in 2010.
SPACE WARFARE
China conducted a record 15 space launches in 2010 and expanded its space-based satellite network for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, communications and meteorological operations.
China's military strategists "regard the ability to utilize space and deny adversaries access to space as central to enabling modern, informatized warfare."
CYBER WARFARE
Cyberwarfare capabilities would help China's military gather information, slow down an adversary's response time by crippling networks and serve as a force multiplier to kinetic attacks during a conflict. The PLA has set up "information warfare units" to attack enemy computer systems and protect Chinese networks.

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*Link for This article compiled by Roger Smith from reliable sources
Telegraph.co.uk & Xinhuanet.com
*Speaking Image - Creation of DTN News ~ Defense Technology News
*This article is being posted from Toronto, Canada By DTN News ~ Defense-Technology News

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