Posted on Apr 27, 2020
Is it time for a 'new way of war?' What China's army reforms mean for the rest of the world
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The ancient Chinese military strategist Sun Tzu once said,
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
Looking at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) today, it’s hard to say which of these tactics is most germane.
Getting the answer right will have enormous consequences for the United States and the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Underestimating the PLA breeds complacency and risks costly overreach. Overestimating the Chinese military grants it unwarranted advantage.
Similarly, for the Chinese leadership, miscalculating its military capability could lead to disaster.
As such, any serious appraisal of Chinese military power has to take the PLA’s progress – as well as its problems – into account. This was the focus of a recent study we undertook, along with retired US Army lieutenant colonel Dennis Blasko, for the Australian Department of Defence.
Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.
Looking at the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) today, it’s hard to say which of these tactics is most germane.
Getting the answer right will have enormous consequences for the United States and the future of the Indo-Pacific region. Underestimating the PLA breeds complacency and risks costly overreach. Overestimating the Chinese military grants it unwarranted advantage.
Similarly, for the Chinese leadership, miscalculating its military capability could lead to disaster.
As such, any serious appraisal of Chinese military power has to take the PLA’s progress – as well as its problems – into account. This was the focus of a recent study we undertook, along with retired US Army lieutenant colonel Dennis Blasko, for the Australian Department of Defence.
Is it time for a 'new way of war?' What China's army reforms mean for the rest of the world
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Posted >1 y ago
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Just some thoughts:
- History is replete with armies who planned on short decisive wins and failed. Many of them failed miserably.
- With Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq we have experience moving large conventional forces. We know how to move mountains.
- Our weapons and weapons systems are proven in wars.
- Our generals have leadership experience running divisions and corps and higher.
- History is replete with armies who planned on short decisive wins and failed. Many of them failed miserably.
- With Desert Storm, Afghanistan, and Iraq we have experience moving large conventional forces. We know how to move mountains.
- Our weapons and weapons systems are proven in wars.
- Our generals have leadership experience running divisions and corps and higher.
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I'd be a helluva lot more worried about the growth of the CCP armed forces if I were Russian or one of the many inhabitants of Indochina. The CCP ability to project all this power only extends to the west where you'll find Siberia and to the south where you'll find Indochina, both with vast untapped resources that China desperately needs. All that lies to their east is an ocean and Taiwan and Japan, both backed by American forces. Taking them on is a gamble.
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