China's Army is pretty Impressive Looking

[TheRabidDeer]

Disclaimer: I'm not comparing armies or anything, or skill, efficiency, or nothing of that sort. This is purely an opinion of mine about the visual appearance of the Chinese Army.

And personally, I think appearances are very important. But damn, does the Chinese army look so uniform and good.

http://www.dogguie.com/riguroso-entr...itar-en-china/

Now, I don't know anything about the actual military, but I hear that to be in the Chinese Army you have to be a certain height. And judging from the images I don't think it's a lie. Of course, it seems like a silly requirement but I was always of the opinion that hell, China has more than enough people in its country to do just that.

But anyway, is anyone else impressed by the Uniformity of China's army?
Simply stunning IMO.

PS. I have no clue about what is up with that picture of the shirtless soldier looking back. Pretty creepy actually.

PPS. Can anyone elaborate on some of the things they're doing? I don't understand it. Such as the pins into the neck (is it to keep their head straight and chin up?). And the tying up of the limbs.

Man, they look like clones almost.

Limb tying to make sure you keep your legs together when marching
That metal bracelet in one of the pictures has a prong that extends to the clothes to keep a proper arm distance
The ropes are obviously for proper march steps
The pins into the neck keep their neck straight and chins up
One of the pictures also shows them with their hats upside down to balance those as well

Impressive discipline, but I am most certainly happy at home in the US of A.

[hyde]

On Topic :Too bad China doesn't have the ICBM (last time I checked anyways) to send their Nuclear arsenal across the globe, or some surprise sex with nuclear subs docked around the eastern North American Seaboard.
It definitely looks impressive, but in the day of Predator Drones, Nukes, Robotic Drones, and soon militarization of space is today and tomorrow.
Tanks are already more or less obsolete.

On a side note...
So much fracking money spent on useless things like armed forces and etc...I feel like nothings changed since elementary recess time. Just instead of the dickhead trying to control the largest structure on the playground, its just random political leaders trying to wrestle out control in regions and play/mess with resources. I grew up liking jets and really wanted to pursue a full time career in the Air Force (Yeah I didn't know how crap ass the Canadian air force was at the time....and ironically all my models/etc were USAF planes haha...) but now they're totally pointless.
Like that F-22...yah its definitely badass (And wasn't it CANNED...) but the money could be spent into better things...like improving living conditions for humans.

[Norfindel]

Well, if the UN weren't a bad joke, you wouldn't need to invest that much money on armies, because you would be punished for doing something like attacking another country without any justification.

Right now, people don't press the button because others can do the same. No need to say, this isn't a reasonable way to run the world.

[Quirel]

On Topic :Too bad China doesn't have the ICBM (last time I checked anyways) to send their Nuclear arsenal across the globe, or some surprise sex with nuclear subs docked around the eastern North American Seaboard.

Ahem.
DongFeng 31A.
Last time you checked was back in the 1980's, Ja?

It definitely looks impressive, but in the day of Predator Drones, Nukes, Robotic Drones, and soon militarization of space is today and tomorrow.
Tanks are already more or less obsolete.

Heh. Nein, the Tank is here to stay, along with the assault rifle.
Nuclear weapons in space are banned by international treaty, and questions are abound about the efficacy of Rods from God.

In the smaller-scale wars that are likely to happen in the future, ranging from military actions such as "Operation Desert Storm" and the Russian-Georgian War, the Main Battle Tank continues to be THE most effective weapon against tanks and armored vehicles. Gunships are effective, but expensive. Drones do have a leg up over tanks, but that's going to disappear once anti-missile defense systems are perfected.

On a side note...
So much fracking money spent on useless things like armed forces and etc...

So much frackin' money spent on useless things like Medicare, SocSec, aid to African countries which ends up in the hands of dictators.
At least the armed forces are there to protect your standard of living.

I feel like nothings changed since elementary recess time. Just instead of the dickhead trying to control the largest structure on the playground, its just random political leaders trying to wrestle out control in regions and play/mess with resources.

Maybe because competition and power playing are ingrained into the human psyche, so much that it manifests on all levels of society?

I grew up liking jets and really wanted to pursue a full time career in the Air Force (Yeah I didn't know how crap ass the Canadian air force was at the time....and ironically all my models/etc were USAF planes haha...) but now they're totally pointless.

Pointless? How?

Like that F-22...yah its definitely badass (And wasn't it CANNED...) but the money could be spent into better things...like improving living conditions for humans.

One could argue that those jets (not the F-22) ARE improving the living conditions of humans. Look at Afghanistan now. Now, go back ten years and look at how it was under the Taliban. Bam, living conditions improved.

Well, if the UN weren't a bad joke, you wouldn't need to invest that much money on armies, because you would be punished for doing something like attacking another country without any justification.

Oh, yes. You're building nuclear weapons, no more chocolate imports for YOU! That's just so effective.

The ONE time the UN actually worked was during the Korean War. That's when the UN organized several countries behind the US and their COMBINED armed forces drove back the North Koreans.
Yeah, that's right, the ARMED FORCES of individual countries.

Right now, people don't press the button because others can do the same. No need to say, this isn't a reasonable way to run the world.

Why the Hell not? It's fairly stable, given that only a small number of parties have nuclear weapons, and smaller parties are prevented from acquiring them.

[hyde]

Ahem.
DongFeng 31A.
Last time you checked was back in the 1980's, Ja?

Ok yah I'm wrong, but they're still only considered a "Regional SupePower"
They don't have the capabilities to really go beyond the Asian realm.
At least thats what the CIA world Fact book and other publications tell me..

Heh. Nein, the Tank is here to stay, along with the assault rifle.
Nuclear weapons in space are banned by international treaty, and questions are abound about the efficacy of Rods from God.

Yah that's why the Afghanistan mission is done? That's why soldiers have to patrol around in APCS and etc, and still get owned to bits by IEDs.
Unless you are looking for the total and complete destruction of a city, tanks are useless. Especially in urban warfare. They're like sitting ducks driving around town following that "Do not fire unless fired upon" rule.

In the smaller-scale wars that are likely to happen in the future, ranging from military actions such as "Operation Desert Storm" and the Russian-Georgian War, the Main Battle Tank continues to be THE most effective weapon against tanks and armored vehicles. Gunships are effective, but expensive. Drones do have a leg up over tanks, but that's going to disappear once anti-missile defense systems are perfected.

True but that's Russia being a prick. It'll be the day when Abrams are strolling into Tehran and other parts of Iran plowing down buildings. But when that happens, I'm pretty sure the world will be in chaos.

So much frackin' money spent on useless things like Medicare, SocSec, aid to African countries which ends up in the hands of dictators.
At least the armed forces are there to protect your standard of living.

Marginal investment vs Marginal returns . Like that F22 example.
I don't know but I don't think TOPGUN-esque dog fights even occur anymore.

But you know, I am wrong and right.

Thomas D. Crimmins of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy who has written about the possible Israeli strike on Iran says that the F-22 may be the only current aircraft that can evade the Russian S-300 air defense system which the Russians may transfer to Iran.

It's just rock paper scissors..but the rock/paper/scissors keep getting bigger and bigger. There is no need to develop things like the F-22 if the S-300 did not exist. But because the F-22 exists... the S-400 or whatever will exist one day...
Might not matter to Americans, but I don't think everyone in Russia can go outside, walk to a starbucks and blow 7$USD on a cup of warmed milk. Then buy a copy of the Russian Times for 2$USD and throw that away. Then go into their Mustang and go commute to school.
Because that is what I do every day when I go to college, and I know I am living pretty high standards.

Maybe because competition and power playing are ingrained into the human psyche, so much that it manifests on all levels of society?

Yeah.

Pointless? How?

See the F22/S-300 example. Bigger rocks...etc..
And other groups agree, military might is required but things are changing

"An August 2008 RAND study showed that, as a land based aircraft, the F-22 would have little impact on a future conflict with China over Taiwan as its nearby bases would be shutdown by MRBMs and farther bases would require the assistance of tanker aircraft that would be quickly lost"

Just look at the F-22 article. Tons of proposals to can it, mainly because it doesnt have much practical use.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockhee..._of_production

One could argue that those jets (not the F-22) ARE improving the living conditions of humans. Look at Afghanistan now. Now, go back ten years and look at how it was under the Taliban. Bam, living conditions improved.

Yeah, fuck the Taliban. But really, it comes down to the grunt. I mean the invasion was over in an hour or...I can't remember but it was short.
But hell those F-22's ain't doing shit. Why don't they develop some sort of IED detector? That's nice that those F-22's can evade the Russian S-300 system.
But NATO Boys in Green are getting blown to bits everyday in Afghanistan.

Oh, yes. You're building nuclear weapons, no more chocolate imports for YOU! That's just so effective.

Jokingly speaking, Kim Jong Ill is Hennesy's #1 customer lmao. Maybe he's fallen into bad health due to a lack of a Very Special Cognac haha.

The ONE time the UN actually worked was during the Korean War. That's when the UN organized several countries behind the US and their COMBINED armed forces drove back the North Koreans.
Yeah, that's right, the ARMED FORCES of individual countries.

The UN is a joke. I'm Canadian and I know this.

Why the Hell not? It's fairly stable, given that only a small number of parties have nuclear weapons, and smaller parties are prevented from acquiring them.

The problem is, that mentality worked fine in the 60's. It was USSR..and USA!
But now, a random terrorist group could go and put a 'suitcase' nuke or a dirty bomb into a busy metropolitan area. I don't know, but people love to point fingers...


OH not to mention...this thing still exists....at least to what people say

The point of the system, he explains, was to guarantee an automatic Soviet response to an American nuclear strike. Even if the US crippled the USSR with a surprise attack, the Soviets could still hit back. It wouldn't matter if the US blew up the Kremlin, took out the defense ministry, severed the communications network, and killed everyone with stars on their shoulders. Ground-based sensors would detect that a devastating blow had been struck and a counterattack would be launched.
The technical name was Perimeter, but some called it Mertvaya Ruka, or Dead Hand. It was built 25 years ago and remained a closely guarded secret. With the demise of the USSR, word of the system did leak out, but few people seemed to notice. In fact, though Yarynich and a former Minuteman launch officer named Bruce Blair have been writing about Perimeter since 1993 in numerous books and newspaper articles, its existence has not penetrated the public mind or the corridors of power. The Russians still won't discuss it, and Americans at the highest levels—including former top officials at the State Department and White House—say they've never heard of it. When I recently told former CIA director James Woolsey that the USSR had built a doomsday device, his eyes grew cold. "I hope to God the Soviets were more sensible than that." They weren't.


Read More http://www.wired.com/politics/securi...#ixzz0rmxYTEjz

http://www.wired.com/politics/securi...urrentPage=all


So you know, in theory. Some crazed terrorist group goes to Moscow, sets off a device big enough to trip the sensors. The machine/system supposedly asks for human input, if none is given, it goes ahead with the total and utter destruction of the USA.
So if that happens, then the USA probably retaliates. Shit there goes the world.

PS. Don't get me wrong, as a Canadian I am well aware that a majority of our security is provided by the Americans. NORAD might be a joint venture between Canada/USA, but I know it is the American Nuclear subs patrolling the artic. And I know Russians have done recon/spy crap in the Artic before, our mitlitary is ill equipped to deal with anything and our attempts at some "Artic Sovereignty" is a joke. Obviously somethings are a necessity, but those necessities usually born out of political insecurities and fear mongering.
Oh well.

[Kacaier]

Ok yah I'm wrong, but they're still only considered a "Regional SupePower"
They don't have the capabilities to really go beyond the Asian realm.
At least thats what the CIA world Fact book and other publications tell me..

If you look through my previous post, you can see that they don't need to go beyond their backyard. While China still has imperialistic intentions left (Taiwan, South China Sea, Arunachal Pradesh), they have no reason to taking over say, Europe, the US, or any other place. They're right now quite successful playing the Globalism game. So, the only conflict the US would run into China with would be in their backyard, and that's where they've built their military around.

Nuclear missiles are futile against China. Even with them, you'll still run into MAD (mutual assured destruction).

--------

[//MavericK\\]

Like that F-22...yah its definitely badass (And wasn't it CANNED...)

Funding was diverted to other projects, but as of right now, 168 are currently in operation with a final 19 planes awaiting production. There will be no more after that, though.

The F-35 Lightening and all of its crazy variants is our new pride and joy. It's the F-22's cheaper, leaner, baby brother.



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lockhee...5_Lightning_II

And yeah, I wish the world collectively spent way more money on more important things rather than offens--I mean defense.

The countries of the world routinely and metaphorically shake hands with one another with one hand, while holding knives behind their backs with the other. Imagine if someone could convince every country to put down their knife. Imagine all of the things we could accomplish. Not gonna happen anytime soon, though.

[Norfindel]

Oh, yes! It worked really well http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doomsday_Clock

[//MavericK\\]

The 1983 film The Day After should be required viewing for anyone in control of a nuclear arsenal, however large or small.

It is a profoundly horrifying movie.

[TheEconomist]

They look absolutely positively ... American