China builds its own stealth fighter

Will China make Gates' visit worth the trip?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates will travel to China and Japan this week in what will be the most public demonstration of the resumption of the U.S.-China Military to Military relationship since Beijing suspended cooperation early in 2010. However, the future of Military cooperation between the two world powers is far from determined. The Gates trip follows a series of discussions between U.S. and Chinese defense officials last month on how to improve ties between the Pacific's two most import...

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Wall Street Journal: A Chinese Stealth Challenge? By JEREMY PAGE Beijing—The first clear pictures of what appears to be a Chinese stealth fighter prototype have been published online, highlighting China's Military buildup just days before U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates heads to Beijing to try to repair defense ties. The photographs, published on several unofficial Chinese and foreign defense-related websites, appear to show a J-20 prototype making a high-speed taxi test—usually one o...

China completes stealth fighter prototype
Soldiers are seen walking under a Chinese national flag in Shanghai. China ... China appears to have completed a prototype of its first stealth fighter, highlighting Beijing's Military modernisation drive, but experts said Wednesday the jet will not be operational for years to come. Photographs published online and Chinese Military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in southwestern...

China Uncloaks Stealth Fighter Prototype
China's state media have published pictures that appear to show a prototype of the country's first stealth fighter jet — a move that supports experts' claims that China's Military aviation program is advancing faster than expected. The photographs what appears to be a future J-20 fighter conducting taxi tests on a runway at the Chengdu Aircraft Design Institute's airfield in southwestern China. Analysis of the images shows the jet to be larger than either the Russian or U.S. stealth planes...

Reports Of China's Stealth Fighter Come As Pentagon Proposes Cuts
The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force puts on an air display to mark its 60th birthday in Beijing on November 15, 2009. (Those are not stealth prototypes.) "Defense Secretary Robert Gates is announcing the latest round of cost-cutting measures for the [U.S.] Military, including a plan to do away with a new amphibious vehicle that can ferry Troops to shore while under fire." (The Associated Press) Call to mind a Weekend Edition Sunday story from last August by NPR's Tom Gjelten, he...

China stealth plane 'years away'
The US is downplaying pictures which appear to show a working prototype of a Chinese stealth Aircraft, invisible to radar. The images - first published on websites - show what looks like a stealth fighter on a taxi run. Beijing has not commented on whether the pictures - published ahead of US Defense Secretary Robert Gates' visit later this week - are genuine. The Pentagon says China is still years away from deploying a stealth aircraft. In late 2009 the deputy head of China's air for...

China develops stealth fighter prototype
Image via Wikipedia AFP: China appears to have completed a prototype of its first stealth fighter, highlighting Beijing's Military modernisation drive, but experts said Wednesday the jet will not be operational for years to come. Photographs published online and Chinese Military sources cited by the Japanese media indicate a test model of the J-20 fighter has been finished, with taxi tests carried out last week at an airfield in southwestern China. ... Experts say the J-20 will eventually riva...

China backs policy of no pre-emptive nuke strikes
BEIJING - China Foreign Ministry on Thursday reaffirmed the country's commitment to not pre-emptively using Nuclear Weapons. Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was responding to a report by Japan's Kyodo News agency saying China would consider launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike in extreme circumstances. Kyodo said the policy was laid out in secret Chinese documents it had obtained, but did not say when they were written or by whom. "From the first day China possessed nuclear weapons, the Chin...

Gates outlines plans to cut $78 billion in programs, 70,000 troops
WASHINGTON — Defense officials will slash $78 billion in program spending and begin cutting up to 70,000 Soldiers and Marines as federal Budget officials tighten the purse strings on Military Spending. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said none of the end strength cuts are immediate, but in the next five years, officials will begin trimming about 49,000 Soldiers from The Army and up to 20,000 Marines from the Corps. He could not say how long the process may take, but it is expected to save a...

Highlights from Gates-Mullen DoD efficiencies briefing
<![CDATA[Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Joint Chiefs Chairman Admiral Michael Mullen just delivered a briefing on their plans to achieve $154 billion in overhead savings over five years and their plans to reinvest some of those savings in procurement. During the briefing, Gates announced the termination of the Marine Corps Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle (EFV) and the placing of the F-35B (STOVL) on a two-year Probation. Gates also announced the nomination of Gen. Martin Dempsey to be the nex... </p>

U.S. downplays Chinese stealth fighter status
By Phil Stewart WASHINGTON | Wed Jan 5, 2011 5:22pm EST WASHINGTON (Reuters) - China is still years away from being able to field a stealth Aircraft, despite the disclosure of images indicating that it appears to have a working prototype, Pentagon officials said on Wednesday. The images have been posted on a number of websites and were published on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday. The Pentagon said they appeared to show a Chinese J-20 stealth fighter prototype making a ...

Al Gore urges China & U.S. to build greener cities
Al Gore.Beijing -- Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore said Thursday that China and the United States -- the world's biggest Polluters -- should work on designing greener cities as part of their efforts to tackle Climate Change. The Nobel Peace Prize winner told an urban development conference in Beijing that energy-efficient buildings, low-emission vehicles, Renewable Energy resources, and more trees in urban areas would help reduce Pollution. "We have to change our thinking and adopt a strategi...

WikiLeaks: China Hiding Military Buildup
Chinese Soldiers demonstrate fighting skills in November, 2010. Wikileaks U.S. diplomatic cables claim China has been less-than-forthright about its Military buildup in recent years. The public line out of Beijing has always been simple: China's Military is for the defense of the homeland. The reality, however, may be more complicated. Newly released leaked U.S. diplomatic cables claim China is probably hiding both the size of its Military buildup, as well as, on occasion, its intentions. Austra...

China backs policy of no pre-emptive nuke strikes
China Foreign Ministry on Thursday reaffirmed the country's commitment to not pre-emptively using Nuclear Weapons. Ministry spokesman Hong Lei was responding to a report by Japan's Kyodo News agency saying China would consider launching a pre-emptive nuclear strike in extreme circumstances. Kyodo said the policy was laid out in secret Chinese documents it had obtained, but did not say when they were written or by whom. "From the first day China possessed nuclear weapons, the Chinese Government h...

Shrinkage: Gates Cuts Army, Marine Corps Size
The Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle is dead. The Marines’ version of the F-35 is on a two-year time-out. The Pentagon is going to ask Congress for $553 billion in non-war cash for fiscal 2012. At his Pentagon Press Conference this afternoon, Defense Secretary Robert Gates confirmed a lot of the expected outcomes for his “efficiencies” initiative for your defense dollars. And then he launched a big surprise: The Army and Marine Corps are going to shrink in the near future. Yes,...

secretary of defense not Secretary or War
 AP WASHINGTON - 'Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Thursday he will cut $78 billion from the Pentagon's Budget in the next five years — money that will come from shrinking the Military's ground force, increasing Health Care premiums for Troops and other politically unpopular cost-saving measures. The plan also identifies a separate $100 billion in savings, including the cancellation of a $14 billion amphibious Marine vehicle. However, the services will be allowed to rein...

SecDef Gates announces surprising cuts in defense budget
From The Hill: “Defense Secretary Robert Gates Thursday told Congress the administration is seeking $78 billion in cuts to the Defense Budget over the next five years on top of $100 billion in efficiencies. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) said after the morning briefing that he was deeply concerned about the surprising depth of the Spending Cuts. McKeon said he had gone into the meeting expecting to oppose the plan to trim $100 billion in waste when Gates a...

Pentagon Plans $78 Billion in Cuts
WASHINGTON—Secretary of Defense Robert Gates unveiled sweeping changes to the Pentagon's spending priorities Thursday, part of a plan to cut spending by $78 billion over five years. The announcement follows a top-to-bottom effort to identify wasteful spending at the Pentagon. Last spring, Mr. Gates kicked off a $100 billion cost-savings drive, directing the services to identify wasteful business practices and unnecessary modernization priorities. With the new changes in the Budget, the De...

China lifts veil of secrecy to parade new stealth fighter
BREAKING with its usual policy of total secrecy over the country's weapons modernisation programme, the Chinese Military has allowed photographs of a new type of stealth fighter to leak - just days before US defence secretary Robert Gates visits Beijing. • The Chinese Military has allowed images of the J-20 stealth fighter to be leaked to the media The American magazine Aviation Week & Space Technology first reported on tests of the new plane, called the J-20, in an article published this w...

Robert Gates, Budget Hawk?
Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced plans to shave the Pentagon's Budget by $78 billion over the next five years, shrinking Active Duty Troops and ultimately freezing Military Spending for the first time since the 9/11 attacks, the Washington Post reports. Gates was eloquent on the issue of defense cuts, saying "we must come to realize that not every defense program is necessary, not every defense dollar is sacred or well-spent, and more of everything is simply not sustainable." Indeed, it'...

Getting Specific On Budget Cuts
With all the talk of Budget Austerity in response to Deficit projects that are crippling over both the short and long terms, hardly anyone can be found who is willing to get specific about exactly what should be cut.  But Defense Secretary Robert Gates is trying to fire the first shot, proposing cuts in the rate of growth in defense spending amounting to $78 billion over the next ten years. As a proportion of what is needed to bring the U.S. government’s fiscal house into order, Gates...

More form the moron zone: Repealing DADT during a war is crippling enough... now let's shrink the number of troops.
So, in addition to destroying the Military, it looks like that empty-suited, Anti-American Racist bigot in the White House is now out to destroy the country. In case it's escaped his attention, we are in a war. Do you get that, Berry? We're in a war. And as moronic as risking military catastrophe by unleashing the gay community on combat units actually is; as stupid and unconscionable as telegraphing arbitrary withdrawal dates can truly be; shrinking the size of the military while we're at war h...

Gates orders DOD to accelerate DADT repeal
ARLINGTON, Va. — Defense Secretary Robert Gates has instructed the Defense Department to accelerate a plan to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on Openly Gay Military personnel and start rolling out its training within a “very few weeks.” President Barack Obama signed the Repeal of the 17-year old law on Dec. 22 with a promise not to “drag our feet.” But the Repeal language passed by Congress states that the president, defense secretary and...

US Military Spending Is No Longer A Sacred Cow
Word is out all around Washington that the Obama Administration plans to cut US defense programs by $78 billion and 70,000 Troops by 2015. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a holdover from the Bush Administration with credibility within the Military community, is spearheading the administration’s press on this issue. Separately, Eric Cantor, the new Majority Leader in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, has said that Military Spending cannot be a "sacred cow"....

Gates Recommends Dempsey as Next Army Chief of Staff
<![CDATA[Gates Recommends Dempsey as Next Army Chief of Staff By Jim Garamone American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 6, 2011 - Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has recommended to President Barack Obama that he nominate Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey to be the next Army chief of staff. Gates made the announcement at a Pentagon news conference. The Army chief of staff is the highest-ranking soldier and serves as a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. If nominated by the president and confi... </p>