China and Russia are outpacing the US and its allies in military technology development, Australian defense official warns

[Rogue Valley]

China and Russia are outpacing the US and its allies in military technology development, Australian defense official warns

Tensions in the Indo-Pacific region have been rising for years as the US works to bolster its presence throughout Asia ahead of possible conflict.

www.businessinsider.com

3.5.24
The US and Australia must reinforce their industrial partnership and step up military preparations in the Indo-Pacific region amid China's increasingly aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, a high-ranking Australian defense official said this week. Hugh Jeffrey, Australia's Deputy Secretary of Strategy, Policy, and Industry, issued the warning while delivering a keynote speech for a Tuesday event hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington, DC-based think tank. Jeffrey's comments come after years of rising tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. The US has responded by working to bolster its presence throughout Asia. During his speech, Jeffrey applauded US defense officials for acknowledging that the country's Cold War-era military infrastructure is unlikely to stand the tense geopolitical tests of today, the South China Morning Post reported. "Russia and China are outpacing the US and its allies," Jeffrey said, according to the outlet, which noted that he was discussing military technology. "Our ability to co-innovate, co-invest, and co-produce today will determine who wins the battle for military advantage tomorrow," he continued, according to SCMP.

He encouraged the Biden administration to continue working with Australia to ascertain regional risks and fully implement AUKUS, a trilateral security partnership between the US, the UK, and Australia focused on the Indo-Pacific region. The alliance was announced in 2021 but has yet to be fully adopted. China has already significantly expanded its fleet of subs and is increasingly surveying nearby waters, including near Taiwan and between Indonesia and Australia. The US has taken several steps in recent months to boost readiness in the region. The US Army is training with international allies and partners to bolster forces for land combat as the chance of a future fight in the Pacific rises. The US Army Pacific's Commanding General told BI last month that efforts are being made to fight China's "aggressive, insidious" behavior. The Department of Defense said in a recent China Military Power Report that China is "the only competitor" to the US with the intent and capacity to change the global order.

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson is waffling about voting on the Defense Department Supplemental Budget Request which funds continued support to American partner nations (Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan) and funds needed investments in the U.S. defense industrial base such as for increased artillery shell production (January 2026 goal is 1 million shells per year) and the continued development and manufacture of air/land/sea drones. As the war in Ukraine has amply demonstrated, drones will play an increasingly large role in future conflicts.

China raises defense budget by 7.2% as it pushes for global heft and regional tensions continue

China is increasing its defense budget by 7.2% this year, similar to last year's rise

abcnews.go.com

 

[Nomad4Ever]

 

[Integrityrespec]

China and Russia are outpacing the US and its allies in military technology development, Australian defense official warns

Tensions in the Indo-Pacific region have been rising for years as the US works to bolster its presence throughout Asia ahead of possible conflict.

www.businessinsider.com

GOP House Speaker Mike Johnson is waffling about voting on the Defense Department Supplemental Budget Request which funds continued support to American partner nations (Ukraine/Israel/Taiwan) and funds needed investments in the U.S. defense industrial base such as for increased artillery shell production (January 2026 goal is 1 million shells per year) and the continued development and manufacture of air/land/sea drones. As the war in Ukraine has amply demonstrated, drones will play an increasingly large role in future conflicts.

China raises defense budget by 7.2% as it pushes for global heft and regional tensions continue

China is increasing its defense budget by 7.2% this year, similar to last year's rise

abcnews.go.com

Fix our border first. Fix it with a strong peace of legislation such as what republicans passed a year ago in May 2023. HR2 was a tough immigration bill and was sent to the Senate where leader Chuck Schumer refused to let it come to a vote or to the floor for debate. Don't tell me the republicans don't want border control. If democrats wanted to have a bill pass and get the money Biden wants for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan all they had to do was connect it to the bill the republicans sent them in May. No, they wanted an issue for Biden to run on.

 

[MSgt]

Fix our border first. Fix it with a strong peace of legislation such as what republicans passed a year ago in May 2023. HR2 was a tough immigration bill and was sent to the Senate where leader Chuck Schumer refused to let it come to a vote or to the floor for debate. Don't tell me the republicans don't want border control. If democrats wanted to have a bill pass and get the money Biden wants for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan all they had to do was connect it to the bill the republicans sent them in May. No, they wanted an issue for Biden to run on.

You still choose to be a far right-wing stooge? Years later, I am seriously surprised. Thought better of you.

The border issue is an escalating problem since Reagan's NAFTA dream, but even Senate Republicans, today, recognized that H.R.2 was an offense to what America is and they too recognized that it would make matters worse. They rejected. Thus House Republicans (MAGA) demanding that a foreign aid Bill be joined to a Southern Bill. Democrats agreed. And then Trump spoke for personal reasons, and Republicans bowed and embraced the chaos that hey helped create.

No, the bipartisan Bill to deal with the mess was rejected by Trump and his mindless Republican drones, for his personal interests, of which you apparently still blindly support. I'm disappointed in your lack of growth.

 

[Tangmo]

Whereas in the West we say the armed forces, in the PRC the PLA means the Army, Navy, Air Force which is to say the nomenclature PLA is all inclusive. The PLA is not a state military force such as exists in India and Japan, the US and UK and so on. The PLA is the military arm of the massively corrupt CCP, ie, the Chinese Communist Party. Its oath of loyalty and obedience is to the Party, not to China the PRC. And anyway, the PRC is the creation of the CPP that owns and operates it -- for the Party.

A colonel or a Navy captain needs to become a member of the CCP -- and he better have the bucks for it if it's what he wants to get and have. The PLA owns interests in businesses and corporations which is how they get the bucks to pay for the positions of colonel and into the ranks of generals and admirals. As with everything in China since time immemorial it's all about corruption, power and money grubbing.

War to the PLA generals and admirals is a big video game given none of 'em have ever experienced actual combat and warfighting of large units and major weapons systems that must be coordinated and integrated coherently. And almost everyone knows that a battle plan goes to hell the moment the first shot is fired. Xi has for years been appointing and firing generals and admirals because things are too good for 'em with their business interests to start a war that's going to wreck their good times and that they're going to lose.

Of note: the Russians don't fear the US armed forces, they respect it. The Chinese do both, fear and respect the US armed forces which is why they're constantly working hard to equal it in their own sphere. The Russians have shown they will invade brazenly while the CCP BoyZ in Beijing focus on anti-access and area denial which technology is defensive. It's a major reason the PLA is constantly struggling to mount an offensive amphibious operation against Fortress Taiwan. The Chinese are meek when it comes to offensive operations.

 

[phoenix2020]

The future of warfare is silicon, software, machine learning, AI and sensor technologies.

We have given up a significant portion of our leadership in several of these domains to far East Asian nations over the last 30 years. We need to emphasize domestic semiconductor fabrication — we already have design engineers that are the match of any nation, it’s the manufacturing that is lacking — and our leadership in sensor technologies isn’t what it used to be either. Fortunately China is not a world class player in most of these spaces other than AI and machine learning. But… Taiwan is.

 

[Rogue Valley]

Fix our border first.

Tell that to all the Repubs who said "**** you America" and refused to pass the bipartisan southgern border security bill last month.