Re: [OT]Wither Canada? And Australias

> >Strange you bring it up but I was reading about the
> >buildup of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC)
> Navy.
> >If I read it correctly there will be at least two
> >large carriers in the PRC Navy and the support
> ships
> >to defend them within the next five years.
> 
> 
> There's more to successful and effective carrier 
> ops than building the carrier and operating them. 
> They'll have to run them to sea regularly and 
> practice practice practice. They don't have the 
> cadre of people to teach the new guys the science 
> and art of ship board fixed wing aviation 
> operations so I suspect they'll have to learn all 
> the things the US and Royal Navy's did over the 
> last 100 years.
You are absolutely right! However, one nation
(Australia) sold a 19,500 ton carrier (the HMAS
Melbourne) in 1985 to the PRC for scrapping. The
problem is that it just doesn't seem to have been
scrapped and is/was being used to study carrier
operations. They tried to buy the French carrier
Clemenceau but failed. The also bought two of the
Cruser/Carrier Kiev class (45,000 tons) and are
using them as "entertainment attractions".

They did buy the 75% complete Russian CV the Varyag
(67,500 tons) which was to have been converted into
a casino in Macao. The only problem is that the
company that bought it doesn't exist, the harbor
is too shallow and the ship is now in a Chinese
shipyard for unspecified work. The sister ship is
operational in the Russian navy flying Mig-29s and
SU-27s.

The rumor is that the Chinese have acquired
(from Russia) or are building an 80,000 ton CV(CVN?)
which will be operational in 2008. If it was acquired
from Russia then it is the Ul'yanovsk which was 45-50%
complete when construction stopped.

Add 4 X Kilo(SS) Purchased, 3 X Akula (SSN) under
negotiation and 4 to 6 Type 093(SSN) they are building
and their attack submarine fleet is growing. They have
also leased 3 X Typhoons (SSBN) which give them a 
balistic missle punch.

> 
> >Give China a couple of victories against their
> local
> >neighbors in the potential "oil grab" for islands
> >game and they may end up a super power. Take all of
Throw into the mix the competed three gorges dam,
which is almost complete, which will give China
economic stability and a masive supply of
electricity and the only thing missing is a stable
oil supply. With China having the biggest stick
(Army, Navy and Airforce) in the region it should
be able to get the lion (dragon) share of the oil
supply.
> 
> It'll take more than that to challenge the US and 
> Royal Navy and also not annoy the Japanese too 

The US armed forces were cut by 1/3 under Clinton
and may be cut again if the terrorist threat is
precived as going down. In any case, ships & tanks
& aircraft are not the weapons to fight terrorists
with so may be allowed to vegetate in limbo in order
to add more to the border patrol. Throw in a President
Hilery Clinton and the US may not want to get involved
in a "local problem" in Ausralia.

> much. But, Australia might want to watch to the 
> North a bit in the next 10 years.

The Royal navy and Australian navy are good but it
takes time to build ships and the Chinese are building
now. In another 10 years the Chinese economy and the
communist government may result in a government that
will have an expand or die mentality.
> - -- 
> - --