Navy Intel chief discusses China's military advances
February 11th, 2011 4:53 pm ET.Do you like this Article?
Even when President Bill Clinton allowed dual-purpose technology transfers to the Chinese, few realized the significance of those transfers, and little was reported in the US media. Some of that US technology helped the Chinese government in perfecting the accuracy of their Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).

Though China has demonstrated its ability to field advanced military prototypes speedily, how soon it can put those capabilities to use remains a key question, the Navy's intelligence chief said in a report released by the American Forces Press Service's Karen Parrish.

Vice Adm. David J. "Jack" Dorsett, director of naval intelligence and deputy chief of naval operations for information dominance, spoke to defense writers about China's emerging military capabilities.

"They've entered operational capability quicker than we frequently project," Dorsett said.

"We've been on the mark on an awful lot of our assessments," he added, "but there have been a handful of things we've underestimated."

Dorsett's remarks were delivered on the same day that Pentagon spokesman Marine Corps Col. Dave Lapan e-mailed reporters about the Defense Department's annual report to Congress on "Military and Security Developments Involving the People's Republic of China."

The report, Lapan wrote, states China "continues to make investments to support a comprehensive military modernization program which includes advanced aircraft."

Specifically, Lapan noted, the China report references the Quadrennial Defense Review report.

"China is developing and fielding large numbers of advanced medium-range ballistic and cruise missiles, new attack submarines equipped with advanced weapons, increasingly capable long-range air defense systems, electronic warfare and computer network attack capabilities, advanced fighter aircraft and counter-space systems," he wrote.

The latest Chinese military technology has been widely reported in recent weeks. In December, high-resolution photos surfaced of a Chinese aircraft that appears to be a large stealth fighter. The previous week, Navy Adm. Robert F. Willard, commander of U.S. Pacific Command, was quoted in a Japanese newspaper as saying a Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile, the Dong Feng 21D or DF-21D, has been extensively tested and now is considered to be at initial operational capability.

Amid growing global attention to China's growing military inventory, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will travel to China on Jan. 9 for long-planned meetings, the first between the two nations' defense leaders since China suspended military-to-military contact early last year.

During his meeting with reporters, Dorsett said Chinese advances should be viewed in perspective. Their stealth fighter, he said, will not be fully operationally capable for years, and the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile system has been test-fired over land, but is not believed to have been tested over water against maneuvering targets, according to Parrish.

China's stealth aircraft, he said, likely is in early development. Based on pictures he has seen of the Chinese so-called J-20 stealth aircraft, Dorsett said, it's not clear when it will be fully tested and operational.

"Over the years, the Chinese military doctrine was 'hide and bide' –- hide your resources and bide your time," Dorsett said. "They now appear to have shifted into an era where they're willing to show their resources and capabilities."

While China is providing more insight, Dorsett said, "Still, the lack of transparency into what they're doing, the lack of openness, remains a concern for us."

Another concern is China's ability to become operationally proficient in a joint, sophisticated combat environment, he said.

"I don't see China [with] those capabilities right now. I see them delivering individual components, individual weapons systems," Dorsett said. "So one of the areas that I focus on is how good are they at developing their operational proficiency to manage across the spectrum of warfare.

"That's one [area] where I don't want to get the assessment wrong," he continued. "I want to get it pretty right on about when we think they're going to become operationally proficient."

Even when President Bill Clinton allowed dual-purpose technology transfers to the Chinese, few realized the significance of those transfers, and little was reported in the US media. Some of that US technology helped the Chinese government in perfecting the accuracy of their Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs).
Now many are ignoring the fact that China boasts it will increase its military spending by 14.7% this year. Of course, an official from China's parliament quickly told US and European Union military analysts that much of the increase would be used to cover fuel and salaries and that China was a "peace-loving nation".

Jiang Enzhu, a member of parliament, told the British Broadcasting Company that the US spent a greater proportion of its economy on defense and that China had "no intention of vigorously developing armaments".

However, American intelligence sources have at various times accused China of understating its military budget and weapons programs.

It's been widely accepted that China's armed forces are the biggest in the world and has undergone double-digit increases in military spending since the early 1990s. The increases have caused fear by their immediate neighbors Japan and Taiwan. The US has also expressed concerns over the spending on the 2.5 million strong military. Washington has several times accused China of understating its military budget.

But the Chinese government claims its spending is in line with military budgets in other governments. China's defense budget has climbed in recent years along with the success of its economy. China also claims its military spending is insignificant when compared with the United States. According to Pentagon figures the US had a base military budget of $400 billion.

Japan is also developing new torpedos to boost the defense of its islands, including some claimed by China. The Japanese fear the Chinese may try to take over the disputed islands. Part of the efforts to strengthen its ability to defend remote islands against Chinese attack entails the Japanese sending some 125 ground troops to San Diego, California from January 9-27 for advanced training with the US Marines, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said.

The troops will take part in reconnaissance training such as learning how to land on potentially-occupied remote islands and gather information, the paper said. The aim is to strengthen Japan's ability to defend remote southern isles such as the disputed islands known as the Diaoyus in China and the Senkakus in Japan, the newspaper said.

Wang Xinjun, a military analyst, told the Chinese media that the US is playing up China's military power in order to contain China's military development. He says that the Pentagon seeks to strengthen US forces in the Asia Pacific area, in order to offset China's influence in the region.

Meanwhile, the progressives in the US believe this is a means by which the Pentagon may garner more funding for military weapons and technology. As usual, the liberal-left in the US sees no threat to national security, preferring to hamper any military spending as they did during the Cold War.


Jim Kouri, CPP, formerly Fifth Vice-President, is currently a Board Member of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a columnist for Examiner.com and New Media Alliance (thenma.org). In addition, he's a blogger for the Cheyenne, Wyoming Fox News Radio affiliate KGAB (www.kgab.com). Kouri also serves as political advisor for Emmy and Golden Globe winning actor Michael Moriarty.
He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes

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