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China Trying to "Westernize" Its Army

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China is attempting to Westernize its army, but it is still too dependent on conscripts while unattractive to ideal volunteers.

So here is a great (though bit long) article from StrategyPage:  "Leadership: China Westernizes Its Military" of September 13, 2020 at  https://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htlead/articles/20200913.aspx

"In the late 1990s China decided to model its rapidly modernizing armed forces on the Western model. 

Chinese were impressed with how the American led force demolished the Iraqi army in 1991. This “Hundred Hour War” was an impressive demonstration of how a well-equipped and well-trained all-volunteer force could roll over a Soviet-style, largely conscript force, even when outnumbered. There were several instances during that short war when outnumbered American units defeated larger Iraqi forces. 

Chinese officers looked at that and decided that this was the kind of military China needed. This attitude was reinforced in 2003 when two American and one British division invaded and defeated Iraq in a few weeks. In both those wars the Americans allowed TV journalists to accompany the combat units, so there was lots of video for Chinese troops and officers to study.

By 2003 China was still hampered by a force modeled on the Russian (Soviet Union) model, an organizational style that had largely been discredited..." much more.


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