[catarleriarly]

For his part, Dorsett said that the Pentagon “certainly would not have expected them to be as far along as they are today” in technology – and that the Pentagon needs to refine its intelligence on military matters in China. “We’ve been on the mark on an awful lot of our assessments, but there have been a handful of things we have underestimated,” he said.

We underestimated China, US official says after reports of J-20 stealth fighter - CSMonitor.com

At some point China will probably apply their military forces outside of Asia and maybe they will fall flat but they will adjust and advance and China does not seem willing to be second to any other nation.

[encunnibriG]

For his part, Dorsett said that the Pentagon “certainly would not have expected them to be as far along as they are today” in technology – and that the Pentagon needs to refine its intelligence on military matters in China. “We’ve been on the mark on an awful lot of our assessments, but there have been a handful of things we have underestimated,” he said.

We underestimated China, US official says after reports of J-20 stealth fighter - CSMonitor.com

At some point China will probably apply their military forces outside of Asia and maybe they will fall flat but they will adjust and advance and China does not seem willing to be second to any other nation. China having a stealth fighter should come as no surprise since they've been so
good at stealing our secrets. Their blue water navy is probably decades away though.

[botagozzz]

How is anyone underestimating China at this point?

[cabonuserollyo]

I don't think anyone is underestimating China, but they have a core design flaw in their system that other countries use to great advantages.

Chines think as a unit and steal (see reference above) most items instead of inventing them. At a time of crisis, great leaders both military and civilian, think on their own and at key points make decisions their superiors would not like. Trying to toe the party line and please your superiors all the time is not a character trait what you want in people making command level decisions.

[Weislenalkata]

Blech...They don't need a stealth fighter against the United States. They basically own us anyway at this point.

[botagozzz]

Nah, not really. The US is still the largest economy, still the largest manufacturer, and our military is the envy of the world. I'm no American exceptionalist or any other bullsh!t like that, but in a straight up non-Iraq/Astan/Vietnam type of war we would make quick work of an enemy in a straight up fight. They can own us all they want, but they can't repossess anything without the repo man coming back in a body bag.

[catarleriarly]

China having a stealth fighter should come as no surprise since they've been so
good at stealing our secrets. Their blue water navy is probably decades away though.

Stealth "technology" is nothing new and not a secret. The Nazis developed the first stealth fighter plane and the British had a stealth bomber first flown in 1952 (maybe the some Chinese spy saw it in the James Bond movie Thunderball).

[catarleriarly]

Nah, not really. The US is still the largest economy, still the largest manufacturer, and our military is the envy of the world. I'm no American exceptionalist or any other bullsh!t like that, but in a straight up non-Iraq/Astan/Vietnam type of war we would make quick work of an enemy in a straight up fight. They can own us all they want, but they can't repossess anything without the repo man coming back in a body bag.

The question regarding a military confrontation with China is do we have the money for a military confrontation. And if we do how long can we sustain a deployment. In the future a confrontation with the US will come at a time of greatest disadvantage to the US, like if we had to send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan again, then the Chinese might make some headway. And if it doesn't work out for them they can wait and prepare for the next time.

[22CreessGah]

While it is interesting that they have a stealth fighter, remember that the United States has had an operational model for pushing 30 years. And if you read the technical press on it (which for some insane reason, I found myself doing yesterday, thanks to links through the NY Times story) you'll find two things. First, it will be at least 2017 before they have a production-ready, operational model. And second, the rear section of the plane is not even remotely stealthy, meaning that anyone with radar observing it from behind or on the rear quarter will be able to see it plain as day. Analysts are split as to whether this is because the aircraft is a prototype or because the Chinese are not particularly worried about the rear-facing radar profile for some reason.

[22CreessGah]

The question regarding a military confrontation with China is do we have the money for a military confrontation. And if we do how long can we sustain a deployment. In the future a confrontation with the US will come at a time of greatest disadvantage to the US, like if we had to send troops to Iraq and Afghanistan again, then the Chinese might make some headway. And if it doesn't work out for them they can wait and prepare for the next time.

And do recall that, as overstretched as the U.S. military may be, we do spend more on our military than the entire rest of the world combined. So it's not like the Chinese are exactly breathing down our necks. They are in a position to challenge us in certain limited ways and in certain geographic regions, but in terms of overall global power, they are barely a blip on the radar screen.

[encunnibriG]

Nah, can't repossess anything without the repo man coming back in a body bag.

Good one!
At any rate aircraft can't hold territory, and as mentioned their navy has little blue water experience. Also I view
China more as a banker and trade partner than an enemy. What's going on with Taiwan these days?

[maxfreemann]

Good one!
At any rate aircraft can't hold territory, and as mentioned their navy has little blue water experience. Also I view
China more as a banker and trade partner than an enemy. What's going on with Taiwan these days?

That was a great line, Dayman.

[encunnibriG]

Don't forget about China's secret army, which is beyond belief almost:

[encunnibriG]

We don't have any issues with China, and likewise for them. I doubt they forget our goodwill toward them during
WW II. The N Korea thing with China was basically a skirmish, brought on by MacArthur.

I always heard the story of how eight Chinese divisions drove us from NKorea. Upon a closer study those Chinese
divisions, comprising their 9th Army, were wiped out during the "retreat". It took the Chinese 9th Army over a year
to recover.

We're cool with China IMO.