European military prowess

From: Alan Minyard

f course we would not be stupid enough to fight the PRC in a "ground
war". We would utterly destroy their command and control, their
air force etc.

Interesting article on the Chinese air forces in issue 119 of Policy Review.
Excerpt:

"China now has the second largest defense budget in the world, with
expenditures to boost its intercontinental ballistic missile arsenal and
acquire nuclear submarines and destroyers. Yet the Chinese air force remains
very weak, with capabilities dramatically inferior to the U.S.’s. The
arsenals of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (plaaf) and Naval Air
Force (planaf) consist mostly of fighter planes (used primarily for defensive
purposes) imported from Russia. The scarcity of bombers (used for offensive
purposes) and China’s continued reliance on foreign planes pose a puzzle to
U.S. defense planners. Apparently content to rely on missiles to project power,
China’s doctrine contrasts sharply with American ideas about the importance
of air superiority.

"Following the successful air campaigns of the 1991 Gulf War, Chinese defense
analysts tuned in to the American debate over the possibility of relying on air
power alone and the connection between the use of air power and avoiding
friendly military and foreign civilian casualties. In recent publications,
generals from China’s military academies have treated air power-related
themes — including what America’s strategic air advantage consists in and
how it might be mitigated or neutralized — at length. Chinese observers also
noted how the wars in Kosovo and Afghanistan confirmed American faith in the
increasing efficacy of air power in light of dramatic technological advances."

Complete article at:

http://www.policyreview.org/jun03/newmyer.html


Chris Mark