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Is the US military dependent on China?

S

Skiguy411

Platinum Member
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
 
I don't know exactly how much military hardware is sourced out of China, or exactly how long the military can keep up a major action without new kit; the economy generally would certainly feel the pinch, though. Remember that Pacific coast dockworker strike that was in the news a couple of years ago? Imagine several solid years of that. Along with some combination of Taiwan, Japan, and Korea also being shut down. We may or may not be able to hold out in some limited, spartan, sense; but our domestic economy would seriously go all to hell.
 
Any country worth crap these days is dangerously dependent on foreign trade. China would be more screwed without the US than vice versa if it came to a war. Their military is old and lacks quality. How long do you think their significantly less financed (a small fraction of the money the US spends on its military is spent by China on theirs) military would last if the US cash cow suddenly ran dry? BTW the US trades more with Canada than China.
 
Don't forget how dependent the US military is on the domestic economy. If there were a significant trade interruption due to war, your tax revenues would plummet. This would lead to budgetary deficits, and the higher exogenous consumption caused by war would likely lead to a trade deficit.

All this would make the recent currency bumps look like smooth sailing. If the currency got real bad, other countries, includeing major oil suppliers like Canada and Soudi Arabia may be unwilling to extend credit to you. This same finacial crunch could make it difficult to pay private contractors for equipment and supplies. Dunno how patient they would be, but I could see GMC and Boeing being pretty understanding.

Soon, your soldiers wouldn't be paid, and your equipment would have no fuel. Hard to fight a war like that, espicially on that's overseas.

O 'course, this is the worst-case scenario. Who knows how it would ultimately pan out.
 
The US military is dependent on every other military of a pseudo-unfriendly nation.

It needs some impetus to justify its existence😉
 
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
Click to expand...

Since when does our military need t shirts, plastic toys and all that garbage? Most of the stuff our military uses is home made and designed. We don't need the Chinese at all, we can do w/o all the garbage they sell us.
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Any country worth crap these days is dangerously dependent on foreign trade. China would be more screwed without the US than vice versa if it came to a war. Their military is old and lacks quality. How long do you think their significantly less financed (a small fraction of the money the US spends on its military is spent by China on theirs) military would last if the US cash cow suddenly ran dry? BTW the US trades more with Canada than China.
Click to expand...

The major thing every seems to be ignoring is that China is willing to sacrifice their recent economic growth if it means getting Taiwan back. After all, getting rich is much easier than getting more land these days and Taiwan means much more to China than it does to the US.
 
Child doesn't need the U.S when it comes to its military because the U.S doesn't give China anything related to military equipment. Europe? No, Europe has a ban on military sales to China.

China makes their own weapons or imports them from Russia.
China has military investments with : India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and many others.
 
China the Red Dragon sleeps for 1000 years, when it wakes Armageddon shall begin and World shall End.

that's the correct script right?
 
Originally posted by: phisrow
I don't know exactly how much military hardware is sourced out of China, or exactly how long the military can keep up a major action without new kit
Click to expand...
Basicly virtually nothing is dependant on China. I think there are limited numbers of items that are actually coming from China, but definately nothing vital that couldn't be quickly replaced from another source before it becomes an issue. The US is generally careful about any of its equipment coming from foreign sources period, which means far more military equipment is domestically manufactured than most items, and when it does its definately from countries like Great Britain where the US belives the risk of their supplies getting cut off in the near future simply isn't there. There is no way the US military is going to rely on China for key equipment components since the US knows better than to do so with a country that there is a significant likelyhood of getting in direct military conflict relatively soon, which would lead to supplies of the part getting cut off.
 
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
Click to expand...

The U.S. is essentially an Island now without it's own resources and little Manufacturing.

Wouldn't last very long without China now, maybe 3 months tops.


 
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
Click to expand...

The U.S. is essentially an Island now without it's own resources and little Manufacturing.

Wouldn't last very long without China now, maybe 3 months tops.
Click to expand...
That's utter nonsense, I know you know better than that, dmcowen674. China isn't even number 2, or three for trading partners with the US. Any hole emptied by pencil sharpeners and lamp shades could be filled in by plenty of places. A disproportionate amount of trade with china is exactly crap like that I just mentioned. Sure there is a lot of money moving, but Aegeon's post was more on the mark than the US lasting only three months!

EDIT: Link I guess China is at #3. Based upon 2004 and the top trading partners, China represents around 15% of foreign trade. Hardly a make-or-break.
 
What the crap? Other than natural resources, there isn't anything the U.S. couldn't manufacture right at home if it needed to. If China ever becomes expensive to outsource to, the world will outsource manufacturing somewhere else. China has no exclusive grasp whatsoever on manufacturing technology.

Edit: I hope you're paraphrasing what your teacher said, because otherwise he really oughtn't be teaching that class. Christ. Manufacturing is outsourced because the work is simple enough for unskilled workers to do, not because the Chinese are super-builders...
 
Edit: I hope you're paraphrasing what your teacher said, because otherwise he really oughtn't be teaching that class. Christ. Manufacturing is outsourced because the work is simple enough for unskilled workers to do, not because the Chinese are super-builders...
Click to expand...
If he knew any better he'd probably not be a teacher 😀
 
Originally posted by: Skoorb
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
Click to expand...

The U.S. is essentially an Island now without it's own resources and little Manufacturing.

Wouldn't last very long without China now, maybe 3 months tops.
Click to expand...
That's utter nonsense, I know you know better than that, dmcowen674. China isn't even number 2, or three for trading partners with the US. Any hole emptied by pencil sharpeners and lamp shades could be filled in by plenty of places. A disproportionate amount of trade with china is exactly crap like that I just mentioned. Sure there is a lot of money moving, but Aegeon's post was more on the mark than the US lasting only three months!

EDIT: Link I guess China is at #3. Based upon 2004 and the top trading partners, China represents around 15% of foreign trade. Hardly a make-or-break.
Click to expand...

Originally posted by: yllus
What the crap? Other than natural resources, there isn't anything the U.S. couldn't manufacture right at home if it needed to. If China ever becomes expensive to outsource to, the world will outsource manufacturing somewhere else. China has no exclusive grasp whatsoever on manufacturing technology.

Edit: I hope you're paraphrasing what your teacher said, because otherwise he really oughtn't be teaching that class. Christ. Manufacturing is outsourced because the work is simple enough for unskilled workers to do, not because the Chinese are super-builders...
Click to expand...

there isn't anything the U.S. couldn't manufacture right at home if it needed to.

That's the key, that where America has lost it.
 
The biggest issue is that America doesn't have the manufacturing capability set up to create the types of small things needed to build big things. We have the ability to, and the equipment to, but right now it is either lying dormant or busy doing other things. If protracted war broke out with China we would likely see the type of massive retrofitting that accompanied factories in WWII. Ford wouldn't be making Mustangs anymore. As for military outsourcing to China- there is none, doing so would be illegal (except for the types of small manufactured items that come from 3rd and 4th line suppliers). China's military budget also isn't anywhere near as large as the US's. In fact there most recent military budget was ~30bil. Lockheed-Martin, the US's largest defence contractor does about 30bil in business each year. Just because the US isn't a manufacturing economy anymore doesn't mean we don't know how to be if necassary.
 
Originally posted by: litesgod
The biggest issue is that America doesn't have the manufacturing capability set up to create the types of small things needed to build big things. We have the ability to, and the equipment to, but right now it is either lying dormant or busy doing other things. If protracted war broke out with China we would likely see the type of massive retrofitting that accompanied factories in WWII. Ford wouldn't be making Mustangs anymore. As for military outsourcing to China- there is none, doing so would be illegal (except for the types of small manufactured items that come from 3rd and 4th line suppliers). China's military budget also isn't anywhere near as large as the US's. In fact there most recent military budget was ~30bil. Lockheed-Martin, the US's largest defence contractor does about 30bil in business each year. Just because the US isn't a manufacturing economy anymore doesn't mean we don't know how to be if necassary.
Click to expand...

Just because the US isn't a manufacturing economy anymore doesn't mean we don't know how to be if necassary.

Hahahahah Imagine McD French Fry Friers and Wally World Stock boys becoming Rosey the Riverters, yeah right.

 
Originally posted by: dmcowen674

Just because the US isn't a manufacturing economy anymore doesn't mean we don't know how to be if necassary.

Hahahahah Imagine McD French Fry Friers and Wally World Stock boys becoming Rosey the Riverters, yeah right.
Click to expand...

I know that workers at McDonalds and Wal-Mart both have as much manufacturing expereince as Rosey the Riverters did and they probably have a much higher education, so I'm confused; why couldn't this happen? Besides, if we were in that kind of war most of the french fryers and stockers would be drafted... but that is a different story.
 
Originally posted by: Aimster
Child doesn't need the U.S when it comes to its military because the U.S doesn't give China anything related to military equipment. Europe? No, Europe has a ban on military sales to China.

China makes their own weapons or imports them from Russia.
China has military investments with : India, Russia, Iran, Pakistan, and many others.
Click to expand...

Of course when no one is paying for cheap plastic crap how does china plan to support its even its people and armies? An embargo against china would cause there GDP to drop back to the stone age with in days. The usa GDP on the other hand would sky rocket.
 
Sigh, yet another teacher teaching me things that simply aren't true. Looks like I'll I have to take everything said in that class with a grain of salt.
 
Originally posted by: dmcowen674
Originally posted by: Skiguy411
So I'm sitting in international relations class today and we are talking about the situation with China and Taiwan. The teacher says that if we get involved against China, our military wouldnt last long since we are so dependent China's trade with us (the U.S.) Also said the U.S. is dangerously dependent on foreign trade.

So I'm wondering how true these statements are. Is our economy and military really that dependent on China?
Click to expand...

The U.S. is essentially an Island now without it's own resources and little Manufacturing.

Wouldn't last very long without China now, maybe 3 months tops.
Click to expand...

Sure, because the US doesn't produce all our own tanks, aircraft, ships, guns, bullets, missiles, submarines, bombs, and suddenly the natural resources of the entire CONUS and Alaska have disappeared. :roll:
 
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