FIRST Amendment - Consumer Be Ware - Not Lazy

Opinion: Anyone who thinks the US and American-based big tech is not using propaganda to encourage US participation in a war between two corrupt countries is not watching with an open mind.

FACTS:

Saddam could not have covertly enough acquired yellow cake uranium (hundreds of train cars full) from Niger to enrich for a nuclear weapon.

A President clearly and knowingly lied to Americans, "If you want to keep your doctor, you can keep your doctor."

A senator clearly and repeatedly lied to Americans about the contents of phone conversations between a sitting President and a foreign leader.

POLITICO mislead Americans since 2017 by quoting "dozens of former intel officials," (more than 50 US government intel officials) and declared the story about Hunter Bid's laptop to be Russian disinformation without any direct evidence - only to find out in 2022 the FBI had known for years the story was in fact not Russian disinformation. When New York Post broke the story of Hunter's laptop, Facebook and Twitter both suppressed the story. CNN's Brian Stelter declared the Hunter Biden story "manufactured" by nefarious right-wing media.

CNN first claimed in 2017 the "Steele dossier" was authentic intelligence only to admit in November 2021 through Federal indictments that the Democratic Party and Hillary paid-for and distributed the opposition research, then claimed it to be foreign intelligence product.

The challenge comes for information consumers who are too busy or lazy or biased to consider the information and alternative narratives. Access to all information not biased suppression is the FIRST Amendment. Consumer-be-aware.

SO, propaganda against Americans... is not a Russian thing. Those who ignore other propaganda, are ignorant consumers of propaganda.

PLA NCO Training: No Longer Your Grandfathers PLA

BLUF: The PLA completely changed the way they train and employ NCOs - moving toward Western military doctrine. Not there completely, but steadily.

In the book, "China Inc.: How The Rise Of The Next Superpower Challenges America And The World", by Ted C. Fishman (April 2006), the author makes the comment, (paraphrased) If you have not studied China in the past 10 years, you don't know China.

In the wake of the Cultural Revolution (1965-1976), CPC leaders sought to decentralize control of the PLA to an extent in an effort to avoid future interference in political-civil relations. The decline and breakup of the Soviet empire was one significant factor enabling the Chinese to develop a PLA more focused on quality than sheer volume of troops.

The change in attitude toward the NCO corps of the PLA is a recent one, with the traditional role of the NCO understood to be one of “leader in rank only”, and a weak educational system to support that end. The PLA recently revamped the education of its NCOs. To become an NCO, certain educational requirements must be met. In 2005 for example, “The PLA established a goal of raising all junior NCOs’ education levels to high school equivalency, and all senior NCOs to the level of 3-year college (the Chinese equivalent of technical school) graduates by 2008. Although there is currently a lack of doctrinal standards for NCO education across the PLA, efforts are underway to accomplish this.

Over the last decade, the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has rapidly expanded a program to increase technical capabilities across its enlisted corps by developing what it calls “made-to-order” noncommissioned officers (NCO). These targeted training NCOs (定向培养士官) receive technical training at civilian institutions before entering the PLA with NCO rank and benefits, bypassing the junior enlisted ranks altogether. While the program is not likely to become the PLA’s main source of NCOs, its continued expansion indicates growing trust in its outcomes and highlights its increasing importance in a suite of PLA recruitment and talent development programs.

One great sources of recent information on China:

Dennis J. Blasko, who was a US Army attaché in Beijing 1992-1996 is a retired Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army with 23 years of service as a Military Intelligence Officer and Foreign Area Officer specializing in China. His book "The Chinese Army Today: Tradition and Transformation for the 21st Century" (2011) and other recent research papers are great sources. (He graciously reviewed my book on PLA Amphibious Forces in 2012.)

"There is no greater danger than underestimating your opponent.”

― Lao Tzu

Why the Corruption and Instability of the PRC's People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Matters

Note: The "People’s Liberation Army" (PLA) can simultaneously refer to the PRC Army as a whole or just the ground forces, or include the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the People’s Liberation Army-Navy (PLAN), the People’s Liberation Army-Navy Marine Corps (PLAN-MC), and the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) - plus PLA rocket forces....

Of the 15 ships that regularly do counter piracy operation off the Yemen and Somali coast for the last, 5 are US Navy, 5 are an alternating smattering of NATO GBR, GER, AUS, FRA, Dutch.... and 5 are PRC-PLAN. Since 2010, US Navy SEALS have been training the PRC's Navy, the "PLAN" in counter piracy operations. As Stalin said, quantity has a quality of its own. China did not have to be good. The lost half of the forces they sent into Vietnam in February 1979 and US analysts for years declared it a defeat. But the USSR had signed a treaty with Vietnam for a warm water port at the former USN base at Cam Rahn Bay in 1978. China pointed out to Vietnam that not one Soviet ship, plane or soldier came to help Vietnam...then left. The point was taken by Vietnam but missed by western analysts. Moreover, even the Russians showed that even being poorly trained - a massive well armed army can beat their opponent.

China is no longer the 3rd world military of the 70's. Since 2000, they have had more people studying engineering in China and the USA than live in the USA even counting illegal visitors. They are not the broke backward ill-supported Russian military. The PLA have bought technology around the world to jump start their military. This has included former Soviet aircraft carriers and combat hover craft (Zubr - that dwarf the US Navy LCAC). They bought a Zubr from Ukraine, then started building their own. These now regularly operate in the South China Sea between the PRC's newly built islands. The PLA have amphibious forces in the PLA naval and ground organizations - as well as their air force (PLAAF) controlling full airborne divisions. The PLA have stolen or acquired stealth and developed a Chinese version of the NATO Blue Force Tracker (where their good guys are in red.)

The PLA have been conducting several joint (air-sea-land) force exercises based on US doctrine each year for over 12 years. Since 2014, the PLA have hosted military training with Thailand and Philippine force in China, conducting combined joint amphibious force exercises. China has maintained battalion sized or larger PLA peacekeeper units in thirteen countries worldwide since 2012 including current deployments in Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan.

Much of the software and most of the hardware used in the West - including the device you are reading this on - is probably manufactured in China. PRC investment in the USA is huge and the PRC has owned up to half of Taiwan's manufacturing and financial institutions for over a decade.

So, if the largest military industrial complex in the world, which is simultaneously the largest threat to and supplier of goods to the USA is corrupt, that is important - maybe even more so if they don't use their weapons in a thoughtful controlled manner.

PRC Leadership Struggles - Spring 2022

The video below gives a peek behind the ongoing PRC leadership struggles. Corruption happens everywhere and China is no monolith of virtue.

"Why is China's military so shockingly corrupt? 

Will Xi Jinping be able to control the army?"

https://youtu.be/-5hENyRScto

It will be interesting to see if he is re-elected later this year at the People's Congress. Or, if China's version of embedded deep state will thwart him and install someone more radically imperial in actuality. Just because you get rid of someone you think is a corrupt tyrant dictator, does not mean you get a George Washington replacement. You often get another Mao, or al-Asad, or Stalin, or Pol Pot, or Castro or... you get the point.

China and Russia circumvention of American financial containment

Since the 2008 collapse, Russia and China have looking at building a currency system outside of the current one controlled by United States (Federal Reserve) and European Union.  For example people outside the US know that China's company Alibaba dwarfs Amazon/Paypal.  

Cultures (and societies) prosper and grow where they build durable multi-generational resources lasting into the future beyond the builder's lifetime... Roads, canals, fortresses, temples housing.  In a personal way, that future is their children.  Compare cultures who live day-to-day versus ones who build resources specifically to be multi-generational.  

China and Russia cannot depend on the Americans to build their future, especially when the central point US policy is described as containment.

China-Russia joint statement on International Relations Entering a New Erahttps://www.airuniversity.af.edu/CASI/Display/Article/2923495/itow-china-russia-joint-statement-on-international-relations-entering-a-new-era/

TIMCAST Episode on Russian - China Cooperation

Russia And China Issue Joint Statement Calling For 'New Era', World War III Is Already Started

https://youtu.be/AJ_9WjdFEYk