China Report Notes Military Modernization

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 24, 2011 – China’s military is modernizing, but the Chinese government needs to be more forthcoming on why it needs these new capabilities, according to a Defense Department report delivered to Congress today.

Michael Schiffer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, briefed Pentagon reporters on the report.

“The United States welcomes a strong, prosperous and successful China that contributes to international rules and norms and enhances security and peace both in the Asia-Pacific region and around the globe,” Schiffer said.

The United States is working to engage China in economic, peacekeeping and humanitarian areas, among others, Schiffer said. A good military-to-military relationship is one part of that engagement, he added, noting that China is working with the international community, for example, to counter piracy off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. The Chinese military also has contributed to earthquake relief in Pakistan and played a role in delivering humanitarian aid to Haiti, he said.

“However,” he added, “the pace and scope of China's sustained military investment have allowed China to pursue capabilities that we believe are potentially destabilizing to regional military balances, increase the risk of misunderstanding and miscalculation, and may contribute to regional tensions and anxieties.”

The capabilities could pose a temptation for the Chinese government to use military force “to gain diplomatic advantage, advance its interests, or resolve … disputes in its favor,” Schiffer said. This danger, he told reporters, re-emphasizes the need for a sustained and reliable military-to-military dialogue between the United States and China.

China’s army is on track to realize its goal of building a modern, regionally focused military by 2020, the report says. But China’s ability to sustain military power at a distance today remains limited.

This may change shortly, Schiffer said. This month, China has conducted sea trials of a Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier it purchased from Ukraine and refurbished.

“The aircraft carrier could become operationally available to China’s navy by the end of 2012, we assess, but without aircraft,” Schiffer said. “It will take a number of additional years for an air group to achieve the sort of minimal level of combat capability aboard the carrier that will be necessary for them to start to operate from the carrier itself.”

The Chinese continue to invest in submarines, and China’s navy is investing in new surface combatants designed for anti-surface and anti-air warfare, Schiffer said, and construction of a major naval base on Hainan Island is complete. “And this base, we assess, is large enough to accommodate a mix of ballistic missiles, submarines and large surface combatants, including aircraft carriers,” he added.

China is also investing in aircraft and missiles. In January, the Chinese air force flight-tested its next-generation fighter prototype. The aircraft includes stealth attributes, advanced avionics and supercruise-capable engines, Schiffer said.

Space also is a focus of China’s military modernization, with a record 15 launches in 2010.

While relations with Taiwan and China have improved markedly in most areas, Schiffer said, the Chinese military still focuses on a cross-strait contingency. China also seems to be stressing maritime territorial claims in the South China Sea – an area where roughly 50 percent of the world’s trade travels.

The Chinese military also has demonstrated in recent years the capability to conduct limited peacetime deployments of modern forces outside Asia.

“This includes multiple counterpiracy deployments to the Gulf of Aden and increasing participation in international humanitarian and disaster … relief efforts,” Schiffer said. “Investments in large amphibious ships, a new hospital ship, long-range transport aircraft and improved logistics have made these sorts of missions a practical reality.” These peacetime operations provide China’s military with a valuable operational experience and also serve the government’s diplomatic objectives, he added.

The modernization shows no sign of slowing, the report says, as the Chinese military received a 12.7 percent budget increase this year. The report acknowledges the difficulty in figuring how much China spends on its military, but estimates it at around $165 billion. “That continues more than two decades of sustained budgetary growth,” Schiffer told reporters.

The Chinese have made some incremental improvements in transparency in recent years, he said, but a number of uncertainties remain.

“We will continue, and we do continue, to encourage China to improve transparency and openness, to act in ways that support and strengthen common political, economic and diplomatic interests of the region and of the international community,” Schiffer said.

In the past, the Chinese have objected to the release of the report. Schiffer said he hopes the Chinese government and military will look at it differently this year.

“The report can best be read not simply as a piece of analysis, but really as the sets of questions and issues that we would like to be able to engage in dialogue and discussion with our Chinese counterparts about,” he said. “These are the questions and the issues that we think that it's important for us to be able to understand.

“We know our Chinese friends have questions for and about us,” he continued, “and that's the sort of dialogue and discussion that we welcome and that we think contributes to regional and global security and stability.”

Biden Speaks to Chinese Students on U.S.-China Relations

By Karen Parrish

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22, 2011 – The United States and China have essential roles to play in solving many of the world’s most pressing challenges, Vice President Joe Biden told a Chinese audience yesterday.

As part of a four-day visit to China, Biden visited Sichuan University in Chengdu, where he spoke to Chinese college students about U.S.-China relations.

Biden first visited that nation in 1979 as a senator.

“It was a very different country then, but what was absolutely clear to me was that China was on the cusp of a remarkable transformation,” he told the students.

A rising China will fuel economic growth and bring to the fore a new partner with whom the United States can meet global challenges, the vice president said.

When President Barack Obama and he took office in 2009, they made the U.S.-China relationship a top priority, Biden said.

“Our presidents have met nine times since then, including very successful state visits in Beijing and Washington, and have spoken numerous times by telephone,” he noted.

The premier forum for communication between United States and Chinese officials is the Strategic and Economic Dialogue, which brings together policymakers from across both governments to discuss issues from trade barriers to climate change, he said.

In May, the two nations also jointly launched the first Strategic Security Dialogue as a channel for civilian and military leaders to discuss sensitive topics, including cyber and maritime security, the vice president said.

To make that dialogue effective, it’s important that the two nations’ military leaders get to know each other, Biden said. Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Chief of the General Staff Chen Bingde of the Chinese army have begun that process through n exchange of visits in May and July, he noted.

“The fact is China and the United States face many of the same threats and share many of the same objectives and responsibilities,” Biden said.

Because China and the United States sometimes view threats from different perspectives, the two nations’ senior military leaders should talk “as frequently as our diplomats do,” he said.

The United States is and will remain a Pacific power, the vice president said.

“Over the last 60 years, no country has done more than we have to ensure the stability and security of the Asian-Pacific region,” Biden said. “And I’d respectfully suggest that has been good for China, allowing China to focus on domestic development and to benefit from a growing market.”

America’s focus on the region will only grow in the years to come, as Asia plays an even greater role in the global economy and international affairs, he said.

Biden said the United States and China are working with international partners to counter the threat of nuclear weapons, materials and technology, noting that Chinese President Hu Jintau joined President Barack Obama and other leaders last year at a nuclear security conference.

“Along with 46 other world leaders, President Hu honored us by joining President Obama and me at the Nuclear Security Summit in April of last year, and our nations are now collaborating on a center for excellence to provide nuclear security in China,” Biden said.

During his visit, the vice president told the students, he discussed with Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, the need for the two nations to focus on “the world’s two primary nuclear proliferating challenges: North Korea and Iran.”

If armed with nuclear weapons on long-range missiles, North Korea and Iran would pose a direct and serious, existential threat to the security of the United States and its allies, Biden said.

“That is why we’ve been working with China and our international partners to maintain peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and to achieve a complete denuclearization of North Korea,” he said. “And it is why as the Iranian government continues its illicit nuclear program, we have worked with a range of partners and international institutions to enact the toughest sanctions that Iran has ever faced.”

The United States will continue to look to China to send a clear message to Iranian leaders through its words and its deeds that Iran must live up to its international obligations, he added.

Other security challenges the United States and China share include Afghanistan, Pakistan and the Sudan, the vice president noted.

“Continuing to develop our security dialogue and cooperation is the surest way to meet these joint challenges,” he said.

Biden repeated for the students a comment he made during the annual Strategic and Economic Dialogue here in May: “For many of the world’s most pressing challenges, it is a simple fact that when the United States and China are not at the table, the solution to the problem is less possible.”

Obama and Biden will continue working to make the nations’ partnership more positive, cooperative and comprehensive in the coming years, he said.

“I hope that my visit can serve as a step toward these goals and toward strengthening that bond,” he added.

Biden later visited Mongolia, and he is now in Japan. His overseas trip concludes later this week.

Obama, Thurman Commemorate Korean Armistice Anniversary

By Donna Miles

American Forces Press Service

On the anniversary of the war's end, read the best Korean War books written by the men who were there.

WASHINGTON, July 27, 2011 – As President Barack Obama commemorated the anniversary of the armistice agreement that established a demilitarized zone between North and South Korea and brought an end to fighting there, the top U.S. officer in Korea emphasized today the need for international cooperation to curb the North Korean aggression the armistice was drafted to prevent.

Speaking during armistice anniversary ceremonies along the demilitarized zone, Army Gen. James D. Thurman echoed the message Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Navy Adm. Mike Mullen delivered earlier this month in the South Korean capital of Seoul.

“We ask the global community to assist in convincing North Korea that its path to security and prosperity lies in the cessation of its provocative behavior, better relations with its neighbors and complete, irreversible denuclearization,” Thurman said.

Thurman offered his comments as a top North Korean diplomat visits New York at Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton’s invitation for talks aimed at restarting the stalled Six-Party Talks.

North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kae-gwan was slated to meet today with Stephen Bosworth, the Obama administration’s envoy for North Korea, at the United Nations.

Meanwhile, Obama marked the armistice anniversary recognizing the service members who fought for South Korea’s freedom in that conflict and continue to help protect it today.

The president declared today National Korean War Veterans Armistice Day, marking 58 years since the signing of what was thought to be a temporary measure to end open hostilities on the Korean peninsula until a peace treaty could be signed.

No peace treaty has ever been agreed to, however, leaving a tentative peace between North and South Korea that sometimes has erupted into conflict.

North Korea launched a torpedo attack in March 2010 that sunk the South Korean navy ship Cheonan and killed 46 sailors. In November, a North Korean artillery attack on Yeonpyeong Island killed four, including two South Korean service members.

Today, Obama took the opportunity to recognize the sacrifices of those who sacrificed after the Korean peninsula erupted in conflict on June 25, 1950, and continue to defend South Korea today.

“Today, we express our unending gratitude to all who fought and died in pursuit of freedom and democracy for the Korean peninsula,” he said in his proclamation.

“For three years, our armed forces fought to help keep Korea free, suffering bitter reversals and winning stunning victories before the Military Armistice Agreement at Panmunjon secured the border near the 38th Parallel,” he said. “Together, American service members and allied forces were part of a generation that, in the words inscribed at their memorial in Washington, defended ‘a country they never knew and a people they never met.’”

The veterans’ courage and sacrifice enabled South Korea to flourish, and the U.S.-South Korean alliance remains “stronger than ever” today, Obama said.

Together, the United States and South Korea continue to advance freedom and stability not only on the peninsula, but across East Asia and around the world, he said.

Obama paid special tribute to the tens of thousands of troops who died protecting South Korea and recognized those who have continued to guard the border since hostilities officially concluded. “Their selfless sacrifices have had a profound impact on the promotion of freedom across the globe,” he said.

The president emphasized the nation’s responsibility to care for these veterans and their families.

“On National Korean War Armistice Day, we recommit to supporting our venerable warriors and their families, and we pay our deepest respects to those who laid down their lives,” he said.

This Day in Naval History - July 26

From the Navy News Service

1812 - Frigate Essex captures British brig Leander.

1912 - First airborne radio communications from naval aircraft to ship (Lt. John Rodgers to USS Stringham).

1942 - Capt. Joy Bright Hancock appointed director, Women's Naval Reserve.

1948 - President Harry S. Truman orders desegregation of the Armed Services.

1954 - Three aircraft from USS Philippine Sea (CVA 47) shoot down two Chinese fighters that fired on them while they were providing air cover for rescue operations for a U.K. airliner shot down by a Chinese aircraft.

This Day in Naval History - Jan. 05

From the Navy News Service

1855 - USS Plymouth crew has skirmish with Chinese troops.

1875 - Cmdr. Edward Lull begins expedition to locate the best ship canal route across Panama.

1943 - In the Southwest Pacific, USS Helena (CL 50) fired first proximity-fused projectile in combat, shooting down a Japanese divebomber in the process.

1968 - Lt. Clarence W. Cote becomes the first male Nurse Corps officer in the regular Navy.

Mullen Calls for Stronger U.S.-China Military Ties

By Cheryl Pellerin

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Dec. 1, 2010 – Upcoming meetings agreed to by the military leaders of the United States and China have renewed the prospect of strengthened military-to-military engagement, the chairman of the Joints Chiefs of Staff said today.

Navy Adm. Mike Mullen spoke at the Center for American Progress in Washington on continuing challenges for cooperation between the nations and opportunities that may arise from adversity.

“Now that both countries have agreed to resume routine contacts as part of this important [aspect] of our relationship, the hard work really begins,” Mullen said. “The United States stands ready to do our part.”

The Chinese military suspended its military-to-military relationship with the United States earlier this year over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Then in October, when the U.S. and China sent representatives to Hanoi, Vietnam, for an inaugural meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Chinese Defense Minister Gen. Liang Guanglie formally invited Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates to visit Beijing. Gates plans to make the trip early next year.

Next week, Mullen said, Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Michele Flournoy will host her Chinese counterpart during defense talks and a main point of discussion will be U.S.-China military ties. And Mullen has invited his counterpart -- Gen. Chen Bingde, chief of the Chinese army’s general staff -- to visit the Pentagon, he said.

In November 2009, President Barack Obama and China’s President Hu Jintao made a commitment to advance sustained military-to-military relations, Mullen said.

“While we have not met that objective -- and indeed have continued to encounter turbulence in the military-to-military relationship -- it appears that we are on an upward trajectory,” the admiral added.

Working from a posture of mutual respect, thinking locally and globally about mutual security issues, and looking toward a shared future would make the resumption of military exchanges between the United States and China “most fruitful,” the chairman said.

“Many of our security issues have a common dimension, centered in places where China can exert a great deal of constructive influence and where our interests are aligned,” Mullen said.

This includes stability on the Korean peninsula, the safety of shipping lanes in Southeast Asia and assured access and equitable use of the global commons, he said.

The U.S.-China exchange should range farther and wider than the Asia-Pacific region, Mullen said, noting that China’s reach increasingly extends to extra-regional and global defense concerns, including Iran’s pursuit of nuclear weapons and security in south and central Asia.

Both nations “recognize the emerging challenges of nuclear proliferation, terrorism, growing global energy demands,” he said, “and the geopolitical implications and stresses of climate change.”

China’s constructive role is essential “as we address the most recent of a long string of reckless acts by North Korea,” Mullen said.

With North Korea’s Nov. 20 revelation of a sophisticated uranium enrichment plant and its unprovoked Nov. 23 attack on South Korea’s Yeonpyeong Island that killed four people, “the ante is going up and the stakes are going up,” he said.

“The United States and China may view the situation differently, but we certainly share an interest in stability along the Korean peninsula,” the admiral said, adding that China is uniquely positioned “to guide North Korea to a less dangerous place.”

“The real question is will China answer that call?” Mullen said. “I am hopeful the answer will be yes.”

Gates Receives, Accepts Invitation to Visit China

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

HANOI, Vietnam, Oct. 11, 2010 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today that he has accepted an invitation from his Chinese counterpart to visit Beijing.

Gates told reporters traveling with him that Gen. Liang Guanglie issued the formal invitation during a bilateral meeting today, though the timing of the visit remains to be worked out.

The Chinese military suspended its military-to-military relationship with the United States earlier this year over U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. Gates called today’s meeting a “good forward step” conducted in a friendly spirit, and added that he emphasized to Liang in today’s meeting his long-held belief that the dialogue between the two militaries should be sustainable regardless of any ups and downs.

“I outlined to him why I believe it’s important that, indeed, when there are disagreements, it’s all the more important to talk with each other more, not less,” Gates said, “and [noted] the need for strategic dialogue on everything from nuclear weapons and strategy to missile defense and outer space security, as well as areas in which we can cooperate.”

The secretary added that he pointed out in the meeting that matters such as arms sales to Taiwan shouldn’t disrupt the relationship between the U.S. and Chinese militaries, because they are political decisions that don’t rest with the secretary of defense.

“If there is a discussion to be had,” he said, “it is at the political level.” And at that level, he noted, President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao have publicly advocated a sustained and reliable military relationship between their countries.

“Having greater clarity and understanding of each other is essential to preventing mistrust, miscalculations and mistakes,” the secretary said. “I believed it in the dialogue with the Soviet Union over 30 years, [and] I believe it’s important with China as well.”

Pentagon Press Secretary Geoff Morrell said he couldn’t put a timetable on when Gates would visit Beijing, but “our desire is to do this as soon as possible.”

Gates and Liang are in the Vietnamese capital to attend the inaugural meeting of defense ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and eight other countries with a stake in the region.

This article was sponsored by Police Books.

Pentagon Officials Explore Renewed Relations With China

By Lisa Daniel
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Sept. 9, 2010 – Defense Department officials are encouraged by signs that the Chinese may renew military-to-military relations in advance of presidential talks between the two countries early next year, the Pentagon press secretary said today.

Geoff Morrell said Pentagon leaders are encouraged by reports from the White House that Chinese officials signaled their interest in resuming military relations to the administration’s economic delegation during a visit to Beijing this week.

“The Chinese have clearly signaled their interest in resuming military-to-military discussions, and we are right now exploring how best to do that,” Morrell said during a Pentagon press briefing.

China halted its military-to-military relations with the United States in February in protest of a U.S. arms shipment to Taiwan.

A meeting is planned between U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao early next year, “so we very much would like to make progress before the end of the year,” Morrell said. Military-to-military relations, he said, help the two countries avoid misunderstandings, miscommunication, and miscalculations.

It is possible that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates would meet with his Chinese counterpart if invited, Morrell said in answer to a Chinese reporter’s question. But he added, “This is not engagement for the sake of engagement. We're not just looking for a reciprocal visit by Secretary Gates. What we are looking for is a resumption of productive, transparent, military-to-military engagement, so that we can both gain a better understanding of what our ambitions are, what our intentions are, when it comes to our military budgets, how we operate, where we operate and so forth.”

Meanwhile, Morrell said, the aircraft carrier USS George Washington will return to exercises in the Yellow Sea, not as an affront to China, but to warn North Korea to stop its aggressive behavior. A date has not been set for the carrier to return to the area, he said.

“This is not an affront to the Chinese,” he said. “It's not meant to send a message to the Chinese. It's meant to send a message to the North Koreans about their behavior.”

Military officials are also studying the possible joint use of U.S. military facilities in Futenma, Japan, Morrell said, to “improve the effectiveness of the alliance's defense posture.”

Also, in answer to a reporter’s question, Morrell said the U.S. military plans to fly V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft in Japan.
Morrell also announced that Gates will host a meeting with Russian Defense Minister Anatoly Serdyukov in the Pentagon next week.

Pace Discusses Chinese Military During Japan Troop Visit

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 19, 2007 - U.S. leaders continually assess China's military capacity, but don't believe the Chinese intend to harm to the United States, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said here Aug. 16. "This does not mean that we go to sleep," said Marine Gen. Peter Pace during a town hall meeting.

Pace told servicemembers he judges capabilities and intentions on facts. "Fact No. 1 is for any country, anywhere on the globe, a threat must have two things: capacity and intent," he said.

The capacity of the Chinese military is growing and has been growing for the past decade. Despite this growth, "I have not seen any indications that their intent is to use any of that capacity against us," Pace said.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff keep an eye on developments in China and around the world. The successful Chinese anti-satellite test conducted in January is of concern militarily, the chairman said. The United States depends on the high ground of space for much of its military advantage. U.S. military officials are thinking about how to counter that Chinese capability, he said.

"How do we counter that?" he asked. "What ways do we have to solve the problem should one of our satellites one day be knocked out of space?"

Even with a Chinese military build-up, their capabilities don't match those of the United States, the general said.

"If you look at Chinese military power and you look at ours, you get pretty comfortable, pretty quickly," he said. "Chinese capacity is increasing, our capacity is increasing, and the overall delta between their capacity and ours remains huge in our favor."

Pace urged the audience to look at the United States military through Chinese eyes. "You would see a nation that has enormous, overwhelming capacity to deliver pain," he said. "Therefore, you probably would not want to get into a conventional fight with the United States."

Trade with China is a steadying influence in the relationship between the two countries, Pace said. "The more trade there is between countries, the less likelihood there will be conflict between those countries," he said. "This is because as each country becomes more dependent on the resources of another, as one nation becomes more dependent on the health of another, it makes less and less sense for those two nations to enter a suicide pact by fighting each other."

He said he is an optimist about the relationship with China, a country he last visited in March. "As the Chinese government works to provide resources and a better quality of life for 1.3 billion people, the opportunities there for the entire globe to have a higher standard of living are enormous," Pace said.

The United States and its allies must pay attention to the friction points with China that could create tensions and make Chinese leaders willing to give up the benefits of trade for war, the chairman said.

Report Documents Chinese Military Power, Calls for Transparency

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

May 25, 2007 – China must continue to make strides in military transparency as it moves forward to becoming a global power, Defense Department officials said here today. The officials briefed Pentagon reporters on background following publication of the 2007 Military Power of the People's Republic of China report. The annual report to Congress covers key developments in China over the past year and changes in Chinese military strategy.

President Bush characterized U.S.-Chinese relations as good following his most recent visit with Chinese President Hu Jintao in April. He said the United States and China can work together to further security and economic prosperity in Asia and around the world.

The annual report to Congress reflects the U.S. view that China is an emerging regional military and economic power with global aspirations.

"It paints a picture of a country that ... has steadily devoted increasing resources to their military that is developing some very sophisticated capabilities," Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a Pentagon news conference yesterday. Gates said the report is a realistic appraisal of Chinese security strategy.

Current relations with China have improved since the low point following the collision of a Chinese jet with a Navy EP-3 in 2001. Military-to-military ties are robust; there are troops visits and port calls. Military education exchange programs are being held at the senior and mid-level officer level. Joint military exercises are planned, and the two countries are working together on regional concerns - such as North Korean missile proliferation - and the danger bird flu presents. There are also discussions about disaster relief cooperation, officials said.

Gates wants China to have more transparency on military budgeting and strategy. The Chinese test of an anti-satellite capability in January caught the world by surprise and left many wondering what brought about that particular operation.

The official Chinese military budget is pegged at around $45 billion this year. But the real number could be as much as three times as high, officials said.

China's defense budget is increasing by double-digit percentages per year, a rate that China has sustained for more than 15 years, fueled by the country's remarkable economic growth, a defense official said. This year, the increase was 17.8 percent.

"We are convinced that China's real defense spending is substantially higher - in the range of $85 billion to $125 billion in 2007," the official continued.

This discrepancy between the official and actual figure is emblematic of U.S. concerns on transparency. Hiding these sums of money drives uncertainty over China's intentions, the official said.

"It is not just a concern for the United States," he said. "Many aspects of China's military programs lead other nations to question China's intentions and adjust their own behavior."

Among the sums off the books are research and development expenditures, some military procurement, foreign purchases and dual-use technology, officials said.

China is modernizing its forces. Officials said its newest missile -- the solid-fueled, transportable Df-31 -- could be used if needed. About 900 Chinese missiles are in place opposite Taiwan, compared to 710 to 790 in late 2005.

China is developing home-grown advanced aviation and shipbuilding capabilities, and buying foreign -armaments, mostly from Russia. The report gives more information on Chinese moves toward building an aircraft carrier.

Overall, Gates said yesterday, the report is a balanced portrait of Chinese military capabilities.

"It paints a picture of a country that is devoting substantial resources to the military and developing, as I say, some very sophisticated capabilities," he said. "We wish that there were greater transparency, that they would talk more about what their intentions are, what their strategies are. These are assessments that are in this publication. It would be nice to hear firsthand from the Chinese how they view some of these things."

Article sponsored by criminal justice online leadership; and, police and military personnel who have authored books.

Top U.S. Officer Gives Young Chinese Troops Career Advice

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff had some career advice here today for junior members of the Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army. A PLA television crew asked Marine Gen. Peter Pace how people build successful careers in the military. Pace had just finished observing a PLA military exercise. Standing in front of a Chinese T-99 main battle tank, Pace said it was important to understand the job that servicemembers have, "and do your job to the best of your ability."

Pace said servicemembers must know what those two levels below them are supposed to be doing, and to understand the intent of those two levels above them. "So that as you do your job to the best of your ability, you can take care of those who look to you for leadership and respond properly to those who look to you to follow," he said.

Troops should not think any job is beneath them or that any job deserves less than their best efforts. "We have an expression that says, 'Grow where you are planted,'" Pace said. "So what ever job you are given, do your best, and you will get another good job."

Pace also spoke about the military exercise he had just seen and an earlier visit to Anshan air base. He said the visit hasn't changed his attitude toward the Chinese military, "because I came here with great respect for the Peoples' Liberation Army, Navy and Air Force," he said.

The chairman said his visit reinforced his belief that the Chinese military is "world-class." It also reinforces the idea that there is much that the armed forces of the United States and China can do together to promote world peace, he said.

The PLA reporter asked the general if he considered China a threat to the United States.

"I believe a threat has two parts to it: One part is capability and the other part is intent," Pace replied. "Both the armed forces of the United States and China have great capabilities or capacities. But neither country has the intent to attack the other country. Because of that we are not a threat to each other."

He said exchanges between the Chinese and American militaries are key to bringing the two countries closer together.

"What we do need to do is have more opportunities to work together, to understand each other better, so we can build trust and confidence that will allow our two countries to go forward together," Pace said.

Pace listed some of the many new proposals to encourage these military-to-military contacts. He said his Chinese counterpart Gen. Liang Guanglie had suggested some of these proposals during Pace's first meeting with Chinese leaders in Beijing March 22.

"I agreed with the proposals immediately," Pace said. "There were such things as having our cadets at our academies trade experiences with each other. (Another would) have our junior officers trade places at some of our educational institutions."

Still another is to boost maritime search and rescue exercises and to find ways to cooperate on humanitarian missions.

"We need to just to seek ways to allow our armed forces to get to know each other better, to understand each other better," he said. "That will allow us, then, to build trust and confidence then that will allow us to work more closely together in the future."

He said there are 300 million Americans and 1.3 billion Chinese. Those men and women who serve in the respective militaries "can help both countries provide a better future for all 1.6 billion of those people," Pace said.

Pace moved to Nanjing, China where he will speak to the members of the PLA University of Science and Technology.

This article sponsored by military and police personnel who have written books as well as criminal justice online leadership.

Pace Visits Chinese Air Base, Checks Out Su-27 Fighter-Bomber

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – In a move toward openness, Chinese military officials let the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff examine their top-of-the-line combat aircraft and allowed him to speak with pilots and ground personnel here. Marine Gen. Peter Pace and his party toured Anshan Air Base, home of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force's 1st Air Division, and he examined a Chinese-built Su-27 fighter-bomber. The base was part of a visit to the Shenyang Military Region.

The 1st Air Division has three flying regiments and has Su-27s, F-8s and F-7Es. The Su-27 is the top of the food chain for the PLA Air Force, and Pace was the first American to get such a close look at the aircraft, senior Chinese officials said.

NATO pilots know the aircraft by the code name Flanker, and former Soviet Union engineers designed it to counter the American F-15 Eagle. The Su-27 was engineered to be an air superiority fighter and the Chinese still use it in that role, but they also can use it as a precision ground-attack aircraft. The Russians licensed the Chinese to build the plane in China.

The Su-27 does have some drawbacks. Some of the avionic packages are Russian, and the "warranty isn't the best," said a U.S. military official speaking on background. There is no air-to-air refueling capability for the Su-27, and that limits the Flanker to a range of about 1,500 kilometers.

Pace, Army Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey, the senior enlisted advisor to the chairman, and Air Force Brig. Gen. Ralph Jodice, the defense attache at the American embassy in Beijing, climbed into the cockpit of the aircraft. In addition, Chinese pilots flew four aircraft around the airfield to give the chairman and his party a small look at what the aircraft can do in the air.

While he said examining the aircraft was good, Pace said he was even more interested in the PLA Air Force personnel. The chairman spoke to pilots and enlisted men about their service, the qualities of their aircraft and their training and experience of the personnel. He said they were highly motivated and impressed him with their professionalism.

Chinese officials said all their pilots are college graduates and that 96 percent of them are capable of handling complex air operations. The officials said pilots average 120 hours of flying time per year with most of their training centered on tactical considerations. Roughly 35 percent of pilot training is at night. They said they had about 130 pilots for the 100 aircraft in the unit.

In comparison, U.S. Air Force pilots average about 250 flying hours per year and there are roughly 120 pilots per 100 aircraft.

Pace thanked the Chinese personnel for their work. He said their efforts are helping to bring China and the United States closer together. Pace told the airmen that the United States and China have many common national interests and that it is in Asia's and the world's interest for the two countries to cooperate.

During the visit, the base commander pinned a set of Chinese pilot wings on Pace's uniform. Pace told the commander, and all the pilots he met, that, "while I did not earn the wings, I will wear them as a compliment to your professionalism."

This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.

Chairman Observes Chinese Land Combat Exercise

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 24, 2007 – Artillery and mortar fire poured in on one impact area, while attack helicopters launched strikes that absolutely pulverized another. Tanks and armored personnel carriers raced down tank trails, firing main guns and disgorging soldiers who immediately went on the attack with small arms. All this - and more - went on under the watchful eyes of Gen. Peter Pace. As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Marine for 40 years, Pace has participated in countless exercises like this one.

But this one was different for the chairman. The troops, tanks, aircraft and armored vehicles were Chinese. Pace observed the exercise at the Dalian Training Area here at the invitation of the leaders of the People's Liberation Army.

Pace came here to increase understanding and military-to-military cooperation between the United States and China. He met with senior Chinese defense and foreign affairs leaders in Beijing March 22 and 23. After the meetings, he flew to Shenyang, China and was hosted by soldiers of the Military Region. Today, he visited airmen of the 1st Air Division at Anshan Air Base and then flew in a PLA Air Force Boeing 737-300 here to observe the exercise conducted by soldiers of the 39th Army Corps.

Fog on the peninsula jutting out into the Yellow Sea almost cancelled the trip. But it cleared enough to continue. Pace and his staff ate lunch with the leaders of the unit and then climbed a steep hill to observe the exercise. A Chinese senior colonel described what would take place through an interpreter.

And then the crack of artillery began.

The Chinese military ran the exercise without mistake or mishap, even though banks of fog sometimes obscured the terrain. Pace watched as state-of-the-art T-99 tanks rumbled into view and he could hear the squeal of the tracks as they went over the roadwheels.

Chinese soldiers ran out of BMPs - armored personnel carriers - to open lanes through simulated minefields. Some vehicles were "hit" and large clouds of red smoke billowed from them. The follow on forces drove on to the battlefield in older T-80 tanks.

The sights, the noise, the smells, the orders pouring over the radio net were familiar to seasoned U.S. military professionals observing the exercise. Even the feeling as the overpressure of an explosion a mile away reaches the observation point seemed normal. One difference was that in the United States, the friendly forces are called the "blue forces." In China, the friendly forces are called "red forces."

Following the exercise, Pace spoke with PLA leaders and then met with the soldiers who put on the demonstration. Pace thanked the soldiers for the extra work they had to put in to make the demonstration so successful. He told them he was honored to be with them, and said the free and truthful exchange of ideas by military professionals can make the world a safer place.

After a group photo, Pace and Command Sgt. Maj. William J. Gainey shook hands with each of the soldiers involved.

This article was sponsored by criminal justice online and military and police personnel who have authored books.

China Not Strategic Adversary of U.S., Gates Says

By Jim Garamone
American Forces Press Service

March 8, 2007 – China is not a strategic adversary of the United States, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said during a news roundtable yesterday. "I do not see China at this point as a strategic adversary of the United States," Gates said. "It's a partner in some respects. It's a competitor in other respects. And so we are simply watching to see what they're doing."

Chinese government officials announced last week that the Chinese military budget would increase 17 percent. This would be the 19th year of double-digit growth in defense spending, DoD officials said. China will budget roughly $45 billion for defense.

However, the real size of the Chinese budget could be twice as much, a defense official said today on background. The nature of the regime is such that defense spending could be hidden, and this lack of transparency is a hindrance to better Sino-American relations, the official said.

"I think that greater transparency would help from the standpoint of the Chinese in terms of both what they're doing and what their strategies are, their intent in modernizing their forces. A greater openness about the purposes (would help)," Gates said during the roundtable. "My guess is that what they've announced does not represent their entire military budget. ... I think one of the most significant things they could do to provide reassurance to people is greater openness or transparency about what they're doing."

The increase alone doesn't worry Gates, as the money will buy more capability, but does not reveal the country's intentions. China is building its capabilities and, over the past 20 years, has moved forward on modernizing and streamlining the Peoples' Liberation Army and its rocket forces. The country also recently conducted a successful anti-satellite missile test.

In addition, the Chinese have invested in more and quieter submarines, state-of-the-art fighter/bombers and better communications and computer equipment for command and control purposes, DoD officials said.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. Peter Pace agreed that the Chinese have built capabilities, but tried to provide context on whether China is a threat to the United States. "A threat has two fundamental parts to it: One is capacity, and two is intent," Pace said. "When you see the global capacity growing in any area, we need to make sure that the United States military's capable of handling any threat that might develop, without regard to current intent.

"This is why in the budget, ... there's not only the money for continuing the global war on terror, but also ensuring that we have the Air Force we need, the Navy we need and all the things that we need for conventional battle, so that our potential adversaries don't miscalculate our capacities," he added.

Pace said the United States doesn't develop capacities aimed at any one country.

"We look at the types of capacities that are coming on line, regardless of country," the general said. "We assure ourselves that we can deal with that capacity and that we have overmatching capacity for that. And where we don't, ... we ask in the budget for the funding to be able to address that gap."

Pace said in Indonesia in February that it was important to keep engaging China.

"Trade between the United States and China has grown exponentially in the last several years; that is good," he said during a news conference in Jakarta on Feb. 13. "I think the more nations trade with each other and become dependent on each other, the less likely they are going to find their way into some kind of a conflict."

Police and military personnel who have authored books along with criminal justice online leadership sponsored this article.