Seven Deadly Scenarios

[snowhole]

They sent their Officer Training Manual, THE SCIENCE OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY

Sir,

Col Dennis Blasko mentioned the Science of Military Strategy in the great lecture you posted in the China Reading List.

CJO - Abstract - <em>The Science of Military Strategy</em>. EDITED BY PENG GUANGQIAN AND YAO YOUZHI. Beijing: Military Science Publishing House, 2005. 504 pp. $40.00; RMB 52.00. ISBN 7-80137-892-X.

[Officer of Engineers]

Just ordered it. My much appreciated thanks.

[snowhole]

No problem. :)

[Deltacamelately]

DCL, why is it so? In other words, why are you still looking at future conflicts and expecting conventional war, when it is constantly being proved that the nature of present and future conflicts will be broader spectrum warfare? Strategic deterrence still has a role at the highest-end of the spectrum (obviously), and the lowest-end as well (ex. bio-terrorism). It is a different matter whether the countries of the sub-continent understand it and prepare for it, or not.

Cactus,
Have you already watched both the videos?
You are missing the point, its not about how and why we are looking at future conflicts in the conventional sense. Our military mind is closer to the west and we have already considered detterance as a byproduct and even in the immediate future will continue pursuing detterance as part of a robust offence-defence construct. It is about the Colonel's assessment, that while we see that the PLA is eyeing asymetric/asynchronous warfare as a factor of detterance, they don't have any qualms in considering detterance as an OPOBJ. This is very very strange if not erronous. This means that they have considered this in a far more complex and wider perspective and want the US to consider this in their scheme of things.

[Cactus]

It is about the Colonel's assessment, that while we see that the PLA is eyeing asymetric/asynchronous warfare as a factor of detterance, they don't have any qualms in considering detterance as an OPOBJ.

Sorry, Major, I don't quite understand you here. Can you re-word?

[Deltacamelately]

Cactus,

I was reffering to Col Dennis Blasko's assessment that the PLA is willing to consider war as an operational objective.

[WarisHell]

Its About Soft Power

Until PRC gets a decent amount of soft power, it has to consider using force as an operational option.

It doesnt have many choices.

[Officer of Engineers]

What? Soft power is directly proportional to military strength.

[WarisHell]

The Other Soft Power

Soft power as in cute Pandas, information "products" ie tokens that other people like and want and that give nation states influence through popular culture.

Example of nation state with little military power but huge soft power: Tibet - it has mountains and monks and those little flags, and you know who.

Example of an east asian state with mega soft power (ATM at least): Japan, it has manga, Fuji, sushi, Pacific Island Buddhas, big city lights, Zen gardens, beer drinking cows, pagodas, tenpura, kimonos, samurai, ninjas, world famous beers, sake, etc etc - Heck, even their school uniforms exert soft power.

People want to go there and be part of it, a la the huge wave following wabi sabi filled Lost in Translation - Relevantly including huge numbers of Han, Song and Koreans.

Thats soft power.

[Officer of Engineers]

Soft power as in cute Pandas, information "products" ie tokens that other people like and want and that give nation states influence through popular culture.

Example of nation state with little military power but huge soft power: Tibet - it has mountains and monks and those little flags, and you know who.

Example of an east asian state with mega soft power (ATM at least): Japan, it has manga, Fuji, sushi, Pacific Island Buddhas, big city lights, Zen gardens, beer drinking cows, pagodas, tenpura, kimonos, samurai, ninjas, world famous beers, sake, etc etc - Heck, even their school uniforms exert soft power.

People want to go there and be part of it, a la the huge wave following wabi sabi filled Lost in Translation - Relevantly including huge numbers of Han, Song and Koreans.

Thats soft power.

In case you haven't noticed, the Dali Lama is living in exile with no influence in his homeland and Japan has lost the economic leadership role.

[WarisHell]

Its What the Media Does With It

Especially in the US, which has the hard power.

Soft power is what outsiders think of a country.

[Officer of Engineers]

Power by definition is a force. Thought is not a force. Policy is force. Dumbass.

[astralis]

looks like "warishell" likes the soft power of manga...it sure turned his brain soft.