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Man the US had better look the hell out! Now we are going to know what happens when the one and only superpower pisses off everybody else!
China to 'boost' military spending, Reuters, Feb 28
"China is likely to announce yet another year of double-digit growth in its defense budget in the next week.
The move would feed a modernization drive that is sparking concern in rival Taiwan of invasion, and U.S. worries about stability. . . .
But analysts say the official numbers are an incomplete indicator of the actual scale of resources China is pouring into defense.
Many estimate real expenditure is likely to be two to four times what the government says.
Even so, the official growth figure is a stark reminder of the ambitious buildup by the 2.3-million-strong People's Liberation Army, the world's largest standing army but one that would have to pay dearly to retake a well-armed Taiwan. . . .
Among the clearest signs of that plan are purchases from Russia of advanced fighter jets, submarines and destroyers. . . .
Officially, defense spending grew about 11 percent last year from 2003, hitting 211.7 billion yuan ($25.6 billion), according to the white paper.
By comparison, the U.S. defense budget is about $400 billion this year and Japan's is about $47 billion."
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/as...eut/index.html
India plans to expand military capabilities to match China and surpass Pakistan many times, India Daily, Feb 25
"India is planning a major upgrade in Military hardware, software and overall capabilities. The goal is to match China and not consider Pakistan as any point of benchmark. Sources close to the Ministry of Defense, defense Minister Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Ministers office confirmed the fact that India’s current goal is to be a region power matching the strength of China, France and UK.
Reuters also reported similar analysis. According to Reuters, India is planning to increase annual defense spending by at least 10 percent, Reuters reported on Feb. 24 citing military experts. Expected purchases include six French submarines, 126 combat aircraft, Israeli airborne radar systems, Russian advanced rocket launcher systems and an Old Russian aircraft carrier.
What is not reported in mainstream media is the fact that India is planning an American style defense establishment. The private software and technology companies will be allowed to come and build weapon systems matching the best in the world. The Private industry will bring in Israeli, American, French and Russian companies as collaborators and build world-class joint programs. . . .
In addition to hardware acquisition, India plans to upgrade intelligence effort in a massive way. India understands the futures war in the war will be fought covertly, with field as well signal intelligence.
India plans to reduce the number of armed forces and make the forces technically capable to the level of NATO. That is the long-term goal. Current political and military leaderships understand that India will have to compete in the long term with China, America and Russia. Though technically the military may not match any of the three today, the goal is to turn the table over in ten to fifteen years."
http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/1707.asp