The Long Road to Transparency in Defence Spending
By Lucie Béraud-Sudreau, IISS: “Taken at face value the spending figure in China’s latest Defence White Paper, published in July 2019, ought to provide a modicum of reassurance to the international community. After all, it shows just over 1% of national income spent on the armed forces. The problem is that, while there is a welcome increased transparency in the document, it does not go very far. IISS figures, and others, place Beijing’s sustained defence spending closer to 2% of gross domestic product."
By William R. Hawkins, Proceedings: “U.S. sea power requires a large and innovative industrial base ... “We are at a level of fragility. . . . The industrial base will continue to struggle and some elements may not survive another ‘boom/bust’ cycle.”"
By Chris Beatty, RealClearWorld: "The Senate will likely pass a budget deal that will increase defense spending by nearly an entire U.S. State Department. It will bring annual spending to $738 billion for 2020. That is almost 20 times the Trump administration’s 2020 funding request for the State Department and USAID combined."
By Elsa Kania, China Brief: “When The New York Times reported that Russia had likely deployed a nuclear-armed cruise missile in violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear.
(Real Clear Defense) The United States needs an expeditionary navy, and that is not what it has.
By Tao Peng, RealClearDefense: "China’s recent geo-military anxiety and growing tactical offensive are reflected in the White Paper of the national defense in the New Era.
(Strategy Bridge) In the 21st century, where adversarial challenges come in all shapes and forms, America’s ability to generate power through harvesting the chaotic creativity of the entire nation is more important than ever.[8] Simply focusing military technology development either to react to short-term surprises within persistent disorder, or in support of a grand plan to counter long-term strategic technological challenges presented by contested norms is a luxury lost long ago.
Beijing’s Latest White Paper: China’s National Defense in the New Era
(The Cipher Brief) On July 22, Beijing released its first national defense white paper since 2015, called China’s National Defense in the New Era. The 51-page policy document examines the modernization and development efforts of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) and highlights the importance of President Xi Jinping’s leadership in instituting reforms to advance China’s military capabilities.
ANALYSIS
The latest Chinese Defence White Paper released on 24 July paints a picture of a People's Liberation Army that is on its way to modernising, documenting where progress has, or has not, been made in military reform efforts, explains Meia Nouwens in a new blog.
By Dennis J. Blasko, the interpreter: “The difference between how China sees the world and how the world sees China can lead to a seriously dizzying view.
By Elsa Kania, The Diplomat: "As the PLA pursues the objective of transforming into “world-class forces” by mid-century, the U.S. military may confront the unprecedented challenge of a potential adversary with formidable and rapidly advancing capabilities.
Beijing now boasts six of world’s top 15 defense firms according to a new report, edging out a slew of traditional defense powerhouses.
(Breaking Defense) The burgeoning Chinese defense industry has blown past the majority of its US counterparts while leaving virtually all of Europe in the dust, according to a new study of the global defense market.
By Ankit Panda, The Diplomat: “As any reader of The Diplomat will be aware, the Chinese military has undergone a significant transformation in the four years that have elapsed since the 2015 white paper."