CingularDuality

Quoted for truth. And until we (or our enemies) have an air force that doesn't care how much a tank weighs, it will continue to be true.

This book was written in 1890 and its concepts are true today: http://books.google.com/books?id=r8Q...RC41jg#PPA1,M1

(BTW, Mahan coined the phrase "Middle East" in the early 1900's)

__________________

Become a supporting member! -- Shop at the Tactical Market!

Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage."
TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

Kerostasis

While I'll agree that China's otherwise impressive military might is still largely restricted to operating near China itself, if they decided to pick a fight with us, the battleground would most likely be near China anyway. For example, they've been threatening to invade Taiwan for 50 years now, and Taiwan is well within range of even the short-range infrastructure that China posesses. If they wanted to go past that, they'd probably be looking at either South Korea or Japan. A mainland invasion of the US wouldn't even cross their minds.

In general, the USA has much better ability to project power over long distances than China does. However, its very much an open question whether our ability to project power off the coast of China exceeds China's ability to project power on its own coast. I don't think we really want to find out, either. Hence all the political maneuvering that will hopefully prevent us from discovering the answer to that question for a long time.

__________________

Switch

China could equip their forces with plastic sporks and dunce caps. If the chinese land on US soil, we don't ahve enough bullets for all of em. Also, as the little sub pop up has demonstrated, our navy isn't as impervious as we'd like to believe. Hell, they could use civilians as ordnance and lay a carpet bombing run from san fran to NYC. There are alot of chinese!

**I'm sure they'd have more trouble taking the south since everyone down there thinks god commands them to own weapons and kill fuzzy creatures**

__________________
|TG|Switch

Better known as:
That noob who crashed the chopper.
That noob who ran over the mine.
That noob who TK'd me with a sniper rifle.
That noob who hit that APC at 300m with light AT! Our APC...

CingularDuality

That's their problem... When they finish an indestructible bridge across the Pacific, let me know.

__________________

Become a supporting member! -- Shop at the Tactical Market!

Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage."
TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

VegaBond

Theres a big ariticle in my paper today saying with the Toy lead problems we should boycott all China products?


Umm how could we boycott China products err this keyboard is made from china, ah my mouse my sneakers my pants my etc...

Lol

__________________

Steeler

Demand for extremely expensive and environmentally harmful sonar system by a congressman lagging in the polls in 3, 2, 1...

__________________

Acreo Aeneas

Sounds like the common flaw with people: their egos. The US Navy underestimated China's capability. My question is: why? It's common knowledge that China different approach to modernizing it's economy has led it to soar above all indicators for a rapidly growing economy. And also as evident, they have decided to focus heavily on infrastructure, so why is it a surprise if the Chinese military tech base has been significantly improved?


In addition, as far as my limited understanding of naval detection: were our guard cordon of ships running their radar in passive or active mode? Also, did we have subs out there of our own in that guard cordon?

__________________
Acreo_Aeneas
Former 9th Member

Switchcraft

The comments about our ability to project power using our naval forces are correct, but I'm surprised nobody is mentioning the areas that China has been pouring its research into in terms of military tech.

China has been developing technology specifically designed to kill satellites, and has simultaneously been developing technology aimed at taking out ships with ballistic missiles. The ability to hit carriers at sea with ballistic missiles would seriously defang much of the ability to project American military power. They would never need to "invade" if they were capable of removing our naval superiority and landlocking our forces.

WhiskeySix

Next gen wars will be won or lost with keyboards and joysticks... cause without satelites and digital networks, our military isn't much more sophisticated than it was at the end of WW2. In short, we don't have to worry about a "Red Dawn" scenario, we need to worry about this guy.

__________________




PoE2 Version 2.5 Overview | Get started with PoE2 (for free!)

El_Gringo_Grande

That is what I meant when I said "coastal defense". Those things you mention are like the Great Wall. They are design to keep the outside world out and thus keep their people as isolated as possible.

But even so finding a ship, even an aircraft carrier group, in the middle of the pacific is difficult to say the least. And finding nuclear subs is very, very difficult. Keeping track of those subs for any length of time is almost impossible. They could severely degrade those coastal defenses from a fairly safe distance. Degrade them enough so that we could aid our allies in the area.

I am not minimizing the effort or even the possible effectiveness of China's efforts. The things you mention do pose a threat. But that threat is within a limited sphere. It does affect the whole Taiwan issue. But that issue is quickly becoming as archaic as the Cuba situation.

__________________
Sen. Barack Obama (IL) For President '08
---
I’m not racists, I have republican friends. Radio show host.
- "The essence of tyranny is the denial of complexity". -Jacob Burkhardt
- "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds" - Emerson
- "People should not be afraid of it's government, government should be afraid of it's People." - Line from V for Vendetta
- If software were as unreliable as economic theory, there wouldn't be a plane made of anything other than paper that could get off the ground. Jim Fawcette

Bernout

Just a curiousity question...has this story actually appeared in any other news sources? I was kind of expecting some kind of blurb on the local and national news last night but didn't hear anything.

In other words, I wonder if it is true at all.

Bernout

__________________

|TG-MD6| TG Primer

Daxx

I think we just need Seaquest DSV.

__________________
I am the one, I am the zero, I am your low resolution hero.

WhiskeySix

?

__________________




PoE2 Version 2.5 Overview | Get started with PoE2 (for free!)

Daxx

__________________
I am the one, I am the zero, I am your low resolution hero.

Kerostasis

Since we don't have a date on the story, the consensus here seems to be that this is probably an old story from a year or two ago that they re-reported for some bizarre reason. I suppose it might be a total lie, but that seems less likely.

__________________