China Herald: Pentagon

Showing posts with label Pentagon. Show all posts

Saturday, August 31, 2013

Syrian strike tests Chinese radars - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

When the US and its allies strike Syria, China has a unique opportunity to battle-test it radars, stationed in Syria, writes defense analyst Wendell Minnick in Defense News. And the Pentagon would have its learning possibility too.

Wendell Minnick:

Among the Chinese systems deployed by the Syrian military are the JYL-1 3-D long-range surveillance radar, Type 120 (LLQ120) 2D low-altitude acquisition radar, and JY-27 VHF long-range surveillance radar, according to Richard Fisher, a senior fellow with the US-based International Assessment and Strategy Center.

China would no doubt digest any performance data for use in a potential conflict with the US, which could be sparked by disputes over Taiwan, Senkaku Island or the South China Sea.

But the lessons would flow both ways. The Pentagon would scoop up wartime electronic emissions from the Chinese systems, and moreover, could test its own methods of countering the kind of anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) strategies and technologies that China is developing.

More in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers' request form.

China Weekly Hangout

China's expanding influence has many faces. On June 13 the +China Weekly Hangout discussed with +Eric Olander of the China Africa project discusses the arrest of Chinese gold miners in Ghana, and the position of Chinese labor in Africa. Moderation by +Fons Tuinstra of the China Speakers Bureau.

Monday, January 07, 2013

New US law focuses on China nuclear capacities - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick

A Pentagon authorization, turned into law on January 2, suggest to use traditional and nuclear options against China's underground facilities for storing nuclear weapons, defense expert Wendell Minnick writes in Defense News.

Wendell Minnick:

President Barack Obama on Jan. 2, orders the Commander of the U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) to submit a report by Aug. 15 on the “underground tunnel network used by the People’s Republic of China with respect to the capability of the United States to use conventional and nuclear forces to neutralize such tunnels and what is stored within such tunnels.”

A Georgetown University team led by Phillip Karber conducted a three-year study to map out China’s complex tunnel system, which stretches 3,000 miles.

The 2011 report, “Strategic Implications of China’s Underground Great Wall,” concluded that the number of nuclear weapons estimated by U.S. intelligence was incorrect. His team estimated that as many as 3,000 nuclear weapons could be hidden within a vast labyrinth in several locations in China. U.S. intelligence estimates have been reporting consistently that China had, at the most, 300 nuclear warheads in its arsenal.

Karber’s report presents evidence of a complex system of tunnels in areas noted for nuclear testing and storage — a far greater subterranean cavity than needed for just 300 nuclear weapons.

China's military industrial revolution - Wendell Minnick (chinaspeakersbureau.info)
The costs of Taiwan's early warning radar - Wendell Minnick (chinaspeakersbureau.info)
Would China kill with its drones? - Wendell Minnick (chinaspeakersbureau.info)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Huawei under US scrutiny - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick via Flickr

Eight Republican senators have taken on China's electronic firm Huawei, the alter ego of the US giant Cisco. The eight accuse Huawei in a letter of US departments of having ties with Iran, the Taliban and the People's Liberation Army (PLA), writes Wendell Minnick in Defense News:

China’s largest networking and telecommunications equipment provider, Huawei is looking to bid for subcontracts offered by Sprint Nextel, a supplier to the Pentagon and U.S. law enforcement agencies. The Chinese firm’s effort is being spearheaded by Amerilink Telecom, a Kansas-based company whose chairman is retired U.S. Navy Adm. William Owens. The former vice chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned in his 2000 book about a rising military threat from Beijing, but more recently has developed business ties with Chinese firms.  

If Huawei wins, it could “present a case of a company, acting at the direction of and funded by the Chinese military, taking a critical place in the supply chain of the U.S. military, law enforcement, and private sector,” the letter says. “We are concerned that Huawei’s position as a supplier of Sprint Nextel could create substantial risk for U.S. companies and possibly undermine U.S. national security.”

The letter is yet another step in the increased military tension between China and the US, documented by Wendell Minnick for Defense News.
More in his weblog.

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Wendell Minnick is a speaker for the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch.

Saturday, July 24, 2010

China drives Vietnam into Pentagon's arms - Wendell Minnick

Wendell Minnick Fantake via Flickr

China's higher military profile is pushing Vietnam into the influence sphere of the United States, even though they have been fighting a war against each other in the past, says Wendell Minnick, Asia bureau chief of Defense News in AOL News.

"There are still bumps in the road in U.S.-Vietnam relations," Minnick wrote in an e-mail. "There are still legacy issues with the older leaders of Vietnam who fought in the Vietnam War and still harbor anger at the U.S."

"But the opportunities for Vietnam greatly outnumber the negatives, and it's clear that many in the Pentagon see China's aggressive moves in the South China Sea as a plus for better ties with Vietnam," Minnick said. "The old saying still holds true: 'The enemy of my enemy is my friend.'"

Both Vietnam and the U.S. had run-ins with China in the South China Sea last year.

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Wendell Minnick is also a speaker on military affairs in Asia and is part of the China Speakers Bureau. When you need him at your meeting or conference, do get in touch.