I know that there are a lot of guys here with military experience and hence real world, working knowledge of military equipment and weapons and I also know that there are a lot of guys here with Professional Engineering and experience.
For myself, I guess my experience would be of holding a cheque book and in that light I often read the arguments on these boards from the ex military and the working techs and wonder about questions that I never see being discussed.
So here goes.
I am very keen to look at the world of Chinese Military Investment from the perspective of the cheque book holder; the Minister that is responsible for directing and managing policy and its associated expense.
In that capacity I try to imagine what I would say at the meetings of my top Generals and Industrialists as I try to determine how best to spend the money for value returns over short, medium and long terms.
I find two basic questions keep suggesting themselves whenever discussions of the material needs of the PLA are discussed.
1) What can we package now and produce at very short notice?
2) Where will the cutting edge be by 2025?
Question one is no doubt self explanatory and means to ensure that everybody is on their toes with regard to the levels of technology currently achieved to a production standard.
Question 2 however is about understanding the costs of processes that cannot be rushed and where time is a critical and immutable factor. It would make no sense to me to commission a project today that gives me today's technology in twenty years time. I want to leapfrog this and get to the same point as our competitors, if not beyond, by that same date.
How would you military men and industrialists answer me?
For myself, I guess my experience would be of holding a cheque book and in that light I often read the arguments on these boards from the ex military and the working techs and wonder about questions that I never see being discussed.
So here goes.
I am very keen to look at the world of Chinese Military Investment from the perspective of the cheque book holder; the Minister that is responsible for directing and managing policy and its associated expense.
In that capacity I try to imagine what I would say at the meetings of my top Generals and Industrialists as I try to determine how best to spend the money for value returns over short, medium and long terms.
I find two basic questions keep suggesting themselves whenever discussions of the material needs of the PLA are discussed.
1) What can we package now and produce at very short notice?
2) Where will the cutting edge be by 2025?
Question one is no doubt self explanatory and means to ensure that everybody is on their toes with regard to the levels of technology currently achieved to a production standard.
Question 2 however is about understanding the costs of processes that cannot be rushed and where time is a critical and immutable factor. It would make no sense to me to commission a project today that gives me today's technology in twenty years time. I want to leapfrog this and get to the same point as our competitors, if not beyond, by that same date.
How would you military men and industrialists answer me?