Facing a New China?:

The Pentagon has released its annual Congressional report on China’s military power, noting that China’s continued military modernization and growth has ramifications well beyond the Taiwan Strait and now shows a significant focus on “modern information technology as a force-multiplier.” There is no “grand strategy” outlining strategic goals, and DOD fears that “such vagueness may reflect a deliberate effort to conceal strategic planning. Moreover, Beijing’s announced 2007 military budget increase of 17.8 percent would equal approximately $45 billion, but Western analysts say the true expense could be anywhere from $80 billion to $140 billion. Space is increasingly “a high priority for investment,” and China “views the development of space and counter-space capabilities as bolstering national prestige,” states the report. Indeed, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley likens Beijing’s January anti-satellite test on a par with the Soviet Union’s Sputnik. Moseley sees more cause for alarm in China’s growing space and long-range airpower capabilities. Read more in Air Force Magazine Editor in Chief Robert Dudney’s June editorial.