China is seeking technology and weapons to disrupt the traditional advantages of American forces, and secrecy surrounding its military creates the potential for miscalculation on both sides, according to a Pentagon study released Wednesday.
The annual report from the Defense Department to Congress, “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China 2009,” catalogs efforts by China to supply its armed forces with weapons that can be used to intimidate and attack Taiwan and blunt the superiority of American naval and air power, at least near its territory.
“We have advocated time and again for more dialogue and transparency in our dealings with the Chinese government and military, all in an effort to reduce suspicions on both sides,” said Geoff Morrell, the Pentagon press secretary.
Nature abhors a vacuum. So does geo-politics. Our nation has consciously chosen to cut its military strength over the past 20+ years beginning with Bush 41 who thought there was a ‘peace dividend’ he could spend as the former-USSR evaporated followed by Clinton who shifted budget from the military to fund his social wet dreams and Bush 43 who spent like a drunken sailor without any significant investment to stop the bleeding put in place by Clinton. Now we have Obama. From the military strength perspective, if you liked Clinton approach to taking down the military, you’re going to want to throw your undies at Obama in a rush of unbridled sexual excitement. Of course China is going to fill the void. They have lots of money (formerly ours). They have manpower (that will need to be productively employed). They have vast territory (and an interest in increasing their span of control). They have pride (in a rich history that has been bruised badly over much of the 19th and nearly all of the 20th centuries). They have a political system that NEEDS to be in control (of everything they don’t already control. And Obama will do everything he can to advance China’s case. Welcome to the brave, new world.