Now China has decided to build its own jumbo jets. 

Alone this would be no big deal, but it is indicative of a trend that is worrying many about our military capabilities.  Essentially, we are getting to a point where a war with the wrong country would substantially impact our ability to even wage war.  The glaring example of this right now is the sourcing of the Air Force's new tankers to EADS, which is the European consortium that owns Airbus, instead of contracting a US company (Boeing) to do it.  But when you think about all the electronics and chips and cables and even clothing that comes from China and ends up in critical military gear, the problem is even worse.  Some experts worry about back doors being hardwired in these chips, but what if we can't even get them anyway?  Spare parts become impossible to find, and new equipment is out of the question. 

When you base your warfighting around communication and high technology as we do, that supply line has to be safe - from the raw materials all the way to the soldier in the field.  Due to globalization in the defense industry, we are rapidly approaching the place that the proper operation of the links in that chain can not be assured, while China is doing the exact opposite.

Posted by: jcallery at 08:15 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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