soldiers with no combat experience lead by officers with no combat experience
their military will eventually be great, but very few nations gain combat experience cheaply
I read that of the 70+ things shown in the recent military parade in China, around 50 are new. This isn’t surprising to me - in every type of industry or product, China has been producing a homegrown equivalent with success most of the time. And this ability to build world leading products has happened much quicker compared to the long journey in economic growth that preceded it. Comparatively, western powers are evolving slowly and aren’t far enough ahead that China’s productivity cannot catch up. It’s a scary moment for democracies who want to contain the rise of the authoritarian CCP. But with Trump screwing up key relationships like India, there isn’t much to counter China’s rise towards being the leading superpower.
Newer does not always mean better however. While most western military equipment has been tested in Iraq, Ukraine and elsewhere, none of China's new kit has
The J10C, which shot down multiple Rafale fighters in India, was used to create colored smoke at the end of the parade.
It's also a scary moment for democracies who had been so closely allied with rising authoritarian US