A Look At The Chinese Military Over 35 Years

Chinese amphibious warfare training. From The Chinese War Machine

The Chinese War Machine -- Kyle Mizokami, War Is Boring

A 1979 book is an amazing look back at Beijing’s military.



The Chinese War Machine changed that. The 1979 book was, for a long time, the best look at the Chinese armed forces an ordinary person could hope to get. The authors and contributors — including a youthful Bill Sweetman—hailed from highly-regarded institutions including Sandhurst, the Warship Society, the U.S. Army’s Strategic Studies Institute, the Rand Corporation and Jane’s.



And The Chinese War Machine is still useful. It’s a reminder of how far Beijing’s military has come in just 35 years. The People’s Liberation Army in The Chinese War Machine wore spinach-color army uniforms, practiced aerial tactics with toy airplanes and sailed in green coastal waters.



By contrast, today’s Chinese armed forces wear the latest camouflage, train in high-tech simulators and sail all over the world.



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My Comment: I had the chance to see this transformation first hand. When I was living and working in China in the mid-1980s .... I had the occasion of seeing what the Chinese army looked like. To put it bluntly .... drab and ill-fitting green fatigues, sandals instead of boots, old trucks for transport, old AK-47s, and all of the soldiers (with the exception of the officers) looked like they had not eaten properly for weeks. On my last trip to China two years ago .... I saw a army convoy driving by. Modern trucks, soldiers with the proper uniforms and boots, and all of them looked fit and healthy.



Update: You know the times have changed when the Chinese military leadership believe that they can beat the U.S. in a war .... China Thinks It Can Defeat America in Battle (David Axe, War Is Boring).