Five weapons apparently being ignored by the U.S. and its allies have been developed by China, and may actually pose serious threats to forces seeking control of the Western Pacific, an article in the National Interest magazine claimed.
According to the article, China has devoted a huge amount of resources for the development of weapons for space warfare, which was triggered by the U.S. military's great dependence on the electromagnetic spectrum and its network of military satellites.
The report said that the Tiangong space station would become the country's first undercover weapon as it becomes operational in 2022. The station could be equipped with anti-satellite weapons developed to cut off the U.S. military intelligence, the report added.
The second weapon overlooked by China's enemies is its manufacturing base, according to the article. China, regarded as the "world's factory," produces everything from barbeque grills to iPhones. As an iPhone manufacturer, the country has 100 production lines manned by 200,000 workers that can churn out 540,000 iPhones a day. This capability could enable China to mass-produce weapons systems, the report claimed.
The third unrecognized potential weapon the U.S. should fear is its college graduates. Some 195 million college graduates are expected to enter the labor force by the year 2020.
The report added that graduates who are not able to get white-collar jobs would be the perfect opportunity for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) to gain new recruits, who are familiar with technology. Through this, the U.S. and its allies are likely to face a more technically savvy and efficient PLA in the future.
As its fourth weapon against the U.S. in the future conflict, the PLA is likely to use sea mines. The report said that a U.S. cruiser and one amphibious helicopter ship were damaged by naval mines planted by Iraqi forces during the Gulf War in 1991. The PLA said that the U.S. Navy is still relying on the same old minesweepers and helicopters it used 25 years ago.
The article said that the PLA has an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 naval mines in its inventory, which they will likely use during maritime operations against the U.S. Navy in the future conflict.
The last forgotten weapon that the U.S. must pay more attention to is China's special forces.
According to Dennis Blasko, an expert on China's special forces, the PLA has eight special force brigades and three groups or units. In addition to the PLA airborne corps under the air force, which has a special forces unit supporting the three airborne divisions, the navy's South Sea Fleet also has a commando regiment. China's Second Artillery Corps, the country's strategic missile force, also has a special forces unit.