Skip to content

Defense/Military - 48. page

IHL: The U.S. Military Does Not Have a Patent on the Hypersonic Missile

The International Herald Leader (IHL, under Xinhua News Agency) published a commentary regarding the U.S.’s response to China’s hypersonic missile "weapons" test. Below is a summary of the article. 

On January 9, 2014, China conducted a hypersonic missile "weapons" test. The missile will be used for defending the U.S. missile defense system. A U.S. official stated that China’s new hypersonic weapons test marks an important advance for the Chinese new strategic nuclear and conventional missile development program. 
The article stated that the U.S. has continuously hyped in high profile regarding China’s weapons and spacecraft tests, which is the same as hyping and spreading the “China threat" theory. The reason for this is to create a sense of urgency for the United States mission and arouse a sense of crisis among U.S. allies. After all, the U.S. is treating China as its core opponent in its Asia-Pacific rebalancing strategy. At the same time, hyping China’s military power can help "unite" the U.S.’s many Asia-Pacific allies to fight against China.
The article concluded that, to break the "missile defense system" built by U.S.-led allies and the "China threat theory" encirclement, and to control the discourse power, what China needs most is [military] strength. The U.S. does not, by any means, have an exclusive patent on the hypersonic missile. If the Europeans can make it, the Russians can do it, and the Japanese are also working on it, then China has no reason not to do it. Only when China becomes really strong will the [China military threat] noise eventually disappear. 
Source: International Herald Leader (under Xinhua), January 20, 2014                                        http://ihl.cankaoxiaoxi.com/2014/0120/333961.shtml

Study Times: China’s Dream Includes a Stronger Army and an Outgoing Military Strategy

On January 27, 2014, Study Times, a journal of the Party School of the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party, published an article on how China’s dream includes a stronger army. Up until now, China’s basic military strategy has been self-defense, to defend China’s mainland. According to the article, as China rises, China’s military strategy should be more and more outgoing. “(We) should not only be effective in deterring and defeating any aggression against our native mainland; we should also be effective in deterring and stopping any country that is against our vital interests abroad and deterring and stopping any neighboring countries that play with fire and intensify conflicts.”   

As for China’s vital interests, the article particularly mentioned the Nansha Islands (Spratly Islands), the Diaoyu Islands (Senkaku Islands), and outer space. 

Source: Study Times, January 27, 2014
http://www.studytimes.com.cn/shtml/xxsb/20140127/3852.shtml

People’s Daily: China Made Major Breakthrough in Aircraft Carrier “Electromagnetic Slingshot”

In the past few years, the statement, "China is developing an electromagnetic catapult," has been circulating in the rumor mill on the Internet. 

Recently, a U.S. satellite photo published on a website exposed the appearance of a high-speed magnetic rail traction device at an unknown location in China. Around the same time as the photo’s publication, Major General Ma Weiming, who is an Academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a Professor at the Naval University of Engineering, received the National Science and Technology Progress Award. On receipt of the award, Ma delivered a speech in which he is believed to have disclosed that China has successfully developed electromagnetic catapult technology. 
At present, the United States, Britain, the former Soviet Union, and China are the only countries that are conducting research into the electromagnetic catapult. Building a 1:1 full size large ground test facilities for an electromagnetic catapult is only taking place in the U.S. and China. 
Li Xiaojian, chief editor of the military website Super Camp, stated that being able to build such a large scale experimental facility demonstrates that China has fully mastered the key technology of the electromagnetic catapult, such as large linear induction motors, a high-strength forced energy storage device, and a high-performance pulse generator. 

Source: January 29, 2014 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2014/0129/c1011-24258587.html

PLA Daily: Military Incidents Have Been Politicalized to Damage the PLA’s Image

PLA Daily carried an article saying that there have been a number of cases in which military incidents or military family members involvement in illegal activities have been exaggerated on the Internet resulting in serious damage to the PLA’s image. The article stated that the parties behind it are the “Internet water army” or experts backed by western hostile forces who intend to win the battle of Internet public opinion.

According to the article, the PLA must learn to fight with such invisible enemies, give immediate responses to those damaging remarks, fight against wrongful ideology, and win the “war without smoke.” It said that the PLA should actively create microblogs and web chat platforms to broadcast positive messages online in order to gain the discourse right while patiently clarifying any misunderstandings, rectifying incorrect public opinions, and firmly cutting off any source that will cause damage to the PLA.

Source: PLA Daily, January 26, 2014
http://www.chinamil.com.cn/jfjbmap/content/2014-01/26/content_65230.htm

Chinese Academician: China Must Develop Its Cyber Warfare Forces

Wu Jiangxing, an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering and former president of the PLA Information Engineering University, recently attended a grand interview program of "academicians talking about strengthening the military." Wu called for the establishment of a Chinese cyber frontier defense army as an imminent task.  

Cyberspace has become the fifth biggest battlefield after land, sea, air, and space. The United States has established a cyber warfare force and regards cyber warfare forces as a major component in safeguarding national security. Wu Jiangxing said that the nature of cyber warfare forces is the same as other armed forces. The purpose of "cyber warfare forces is, first, to defend cyberspace; secondly it should develop counter measures." 
Wu said that, at present, China is just beginning to explore how to protect its national information technology facilities. Compared to the massive and frequent nationwide actions of "Cyber Storm" exercises that the United States held in recent years, China falls far behind both in scale and in technical levels. Wu proposed that China must cultivate the concept of a cyber frontier defense; innovatively develop and change the current rules of the game using revolutionary technology; and allow China to develop more effective means and equipment to defend the country’s cyberspace frontier. 
Source: Xinhua, January 7, 2014 
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2014-01/07/c_125948370.htm

PLA Daily: Military Forces in Urgent Need of Standardization

The People’s Liberation Army Daily published a report that highlighted the urgent need for standardization in the armed forces. The report stated that standardization would multiply the troops’ combat capabilities. Otherwise, the lack of coordinated standardization among the army, navy, and air forces could become the "Achilles heel" of the military forces. 

The report cited an example where, during a military exercise, sailors on the four ships were able to hear one another. However, they could not transmit combat data because their information system was not compatible with that of the recipients. In another instance, a brigade in the Second Artillery responded to an emergency with more than 300 vehicles and equipment, but there were as many as 90 different brands and models. The communications battalion alone had 12 different models of generators. The brigade commander complained that if there were a war, they would need to have several truckloads of spare parts. 
 Source: Ministry of National Defense of China, December 10, 2013 
http://news.mod.gov.cn/headlines/2013-12/10/content_4478350.htm

The Purpose of the U.S. Bombers Flying through China’s Air Defense Identification Zone

On the evening of November 25, two American B-52 bombers flew into the airspace claimed by China as its air defense identification zone in the East China Sea. In an interview, military expert Li Jie told a People’s Daily reporter that the U.S. move serves four major purposes: first, it tests the Chinese reaction; second, they are afraid that their future actions of conducting reconnaissance, patrolling, or spying on Chinese intelligence operations would be subject to interference; third, the United States does not want to lose its leadership and control in the Asia-Pacific region; fourth, it wants to show its allies or "pawns" that it still has the final say, and thus, it dares to provoke China. The message is, "You still have to listen to me in the future." 

Major General Luo Yuan said in his article in Global Times that what we declared is an "air defense identification zone," not a "no-fly zone." As long as the United States obeys the instructions of the air defense identification zone management agency or its authorized units, it should have no security worries about flight freedom. However, if, after our repeated warnings, it refuses to obey, China’s armed forces will take defensive emergency measures, regardless of which country’s aircraft it is and for whatever purpose, whether it is an exercise or provocation. 

Source: People’s Daily, November 27, 2013 
http://military.people.com.cn/n/2013/1127/c1011-23669650.html

Xinhua: China Announced East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone

Xinhua reported on November 23 that the Chinese government officially announced the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone. All aircraft that enter the Zone are required to identify themselves by providing their flight itinerary, always-on two-way radio, always-on radar transponder, and visual external identification of nationality and registration. The Zone is governed by the Chinese Defense Ministry. Any aircraft violating the rules will face the Chinese military’s “emergency handling procedures.” 
According to Global Times, the new Identification Zone covers the Diaoyu Islands, which are involved in a sovereignty dispute between China and Japan. The Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a “solemn protest” to the Chinese ambassador to Japan.
BBC also reported that the United States Defense Ministry immediately issued an official statement expressing “deep concern” about this new development, calliing it an attempt to undermine regional stability. The statement also proclaimed that the U.S. will make no change in its military plans in the region.
Sources: 
Xinhua, November 23, 2013
http://news.xinhuanet.com/mil/2013-11/23/c_125750439.htm
Global Times, November 23, 2013
http://world.huanqiu.com/exclusive/2013-11/4594681.html
BBC Chinese, November 24, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/11/131124_us_china_japan.shtml