The Discerning Texan
-- Edmund Burke
Thursday, March 06, 2008
China Beefing Up Military Again
To complicate matters, according to the L. A. Times, there are other reasons to worry about China's military buildup:
"China in the last year has developed ways to infiltrate and manipulate computer networks around the world in what U.S. defense officials conclude is a new and potentially dangerous military capability, according to a Pentagon report issued Monday.
"Computer network intrusions at the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, think tanks and government contractors last year "appeared to originate" in China, according to the report.
"In addition, computer intrusions in Germany, apparently by Chinese hackers, occur daily, along with infiltrations in France and Britain, the Pentagon said. Last year, British intelligence officials alerted financial institutions across the country that they were targets of "state-sponsored computer network exploitation" from China."
"The Pentagon report does not directly accuse the Chinese military or government of the attacks but says the incidents are consistent with recent military thinking in that country. David Sedney, deputy assistant secretary of Defense for East Asia, said cyber-warfare was an area of growing concern and he called on the Chinese to clarify their intentions."The techniques that are used, the way these intrusions are conducted, are certainly very consistent with what you would need if you were going to actually carry out cyber-warfare, and the kinds of activities that are carried out are consistent with a lot of writings we see from Chinese military and Chinese military theorists," Sedney said.
"U.S. military officials believe that Chinese cyber-warfare advances, coupled with China's increasing skill at neutralizing information-transmitting satellites and other capabilities, is part of a military objective of crippling potential foes, even those that may be militarily superior such as the United States, in the event of an international crisis or confrontation."
Such a confrontation is entirely possible. With China continuing to threaten an attack if Taiwan proceeds to declare its independence, war-weary Americans may be looking at yet another U. S. military intervention....although surely China must be weighing the consequences: compromising relations with the U. S.; huge damage to its economy; and a huge dampener on the coming summer Olympics in Beijing.
Still.....China's astronomical population is alarming armed with just sticks and stones, so the thought of them spending about so much to beef up its army is a cause for concern. This tremendous increase in firepower signals something, and it's not just to enforce its claim on Taiwan. After all, China has the capability to give Ahmadinejad what he needs to be a nuclear power, and Iran has the oil China wants. Together, those two countries are one dynamic duo.
Posted by Two Sisters from the Right
