China’s most important asset in potential war with the United States is “mass,” says Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks: “More ships. More missiles. More people.”
To counter that advantage, the Defense Department will launch an initiative called Replicator to create cheap drones across the air, sea, and land in the “multiple thousands” within the next two years.
Cheap drones, of the type Ukraine has deployed to great effect against Russia, can be produced close to the battlefield at much lower cost than typical Defense Department weapons.
But are those proxies wars happening at a higher rate than non-proxy wars were happening before?
I mean by all accounts the only reason that China hasn’t invaded Taiwan at this point is because of how prickly of a target it is (and more accurately how angry of an adversary the US would be if China were to take over the west’s primary computer chip fabrication facilities).
NATO being by far the most heavily armed alliance in the world also seems to be acting as a genuine deterrent in Europe.
In all honesty I have spent most of my life being pretty anti military industrial complex, but the war in Ukraine is what’s making me second guess it. End of the day Russia’s excuses of invading because of NATO aggression are horseshit, they’re just an imperialist expansionist power run by a dictator. What else is supposed to stop them or at least keep them in their place if not weapons that can counter theirs? The war in Ukraine is also demonstrating the limits of strictly defensive armaments … once Russia gained ground suddenly defensive systems are no help in retaking your territory.
I don’t know the rate of proxy vs non-proxy wars so I can’t answer that question. But let me give my opinion on the other points.
I believe that Taiwan is a part of China. It is officially called the Republic of China. I don’t know the details but I know they lost the civil war against the communist and Taiwan was the island they retreated to. It isn’t recognized as a country by most of the world because of China asserting its claim over it. I think many Taiwanese identify as Chinese and both China and Taiwan consider themselves to be the true China. The situation is complicated, I don’t know all the facts, both sides claim to be China, the US official stance is ambiguous, all I know is war with China is bad.
With regards with Russia and NATO. NATO has expanded it’s membership and each new member is geographically closer to Russia’s boarders. Russia feels threatened by this because they have NEVER trusted the west. I don’t know the history but this is what I picked up from watching documentaries on WW2 and the Cold War. Adding new members that are closer and closer to Russia was only gonna end badly because we tend to put weapon systems in those new NATO allies boarders. I think this is why Finland and Sweden didn’t join for the longest. It would raise tensions between nations.
Welp for reason’s only Putin and his advisors truly knows they invaded Ukraine and the reason stated is because of NATO’s aggression. I personally think things would have turned out better if Russia was more friendly with their neighbors and tried to established mutually beneficial trade agreements but I don’t know shit about international politics.
Am I presenting the other side to justify their actions? No. I think it is best to see the whole playing field when you are in a conflict.