Chinese space force developing fast, Congress told

[mawilson 2,133]

China is developing impressive high-tech military capabilities, according to analysis given

to an American congressional commission. And, unsportingly, the inscrutable communists

refuse to tell anyone what they're up to.

The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission heard testimony from a variety

of officials and analysts yesterday, covering such areas as "irregular forms of warfare",

"modernisation of the People's Liberation Army", and the balance of power in the Taiwan

Strait. Today the panel will move on to look at "Information Warfare, Missile Warfare, Cyber

Operations", and the Chinese forces' objectives in space.

US airforce general James Cartwright said China's recent successful test of a satellite-killing

missile had come impressively quickly, and "should be a wake-up call". The sat-buster was

only one weapon in China's space arsenal, he said.

Cartwright also told the commission that the Chinese forces had a well-organised cyber-warfare

programme, to which they were firmly committed.

"It will pay off," he said. "Other nations are doing likewise, but I do not believe any have

demonstrated the scale or the financial commitment to move in the direction that China has."

Other analysts disagreed over China's future military plans. William Schneider of the

conservative-leaning Hudson Institute characterised the ongoing conventional buildup by the

People's Republic as "consistent with global aspirations" and "excessive in relation to China's

regional security needs". He also complained of communist secretiveness, saying that "China

has not responded to requests for greater transparency".

But others cast doubt on the idea that the Chinese are bent on world domination. According to

Andrew Erickson of the US Naval War College, Beijing is focused more on dominating Taiwan.

The island state is effectively independent of mainland China, but the People's Republic has

always claimed sovereignty over it.

"There is little evidence to show that the People's Liberation Army (Navy) is developing the

capabilities necessary to extend its ability to project power much beyond China's claimed

territorial waters," according to Erickson. He thought the PLA(N) would like to be able to prevent

US carrier fleets from intervening in any dispute with the Taiwanese, but doesn't yet aspire to

challenge American control of the world's oceans.

The hearings continue.

Source

[Niels Bohr 72]

That would be very scary. If those satellite seeking missiles were to be used against the US, all weapons relying on GPS navigation would be affected.

[GaryC 7]

That would be very scary. If those satellite seeking missiles were to be used against the US, all weapons relying on GPS navigation would be affected.

Shooting down a low level satellite is different from getting on in geo-synchronised orbit. The low level ones are a few hundred miles up. The other is 12000 (?) miles up. That is where most of our satellites are.

[~Chad~ 0]

"It will pay off," he said. "Other nations are doing likewise, but I do not believe any have

demonstrated the scale or the financial commitment to move in the direction that China has."

Another example of how money talks.

[eric&gen 0]

Money talks and bullChit walks lol$$$$$