Another Analysis On What A US-China War Would Look Like?

The People's Republic of China flag and the U.S. Stars and Stripes fly along Pennsylvania Avenue near the U.S. Capitol in Washington during Chinese President Hu Jintao's state visit, January 18, 2011. Credit: Reuters/Hyungwon Kang

What Would A U.S.-China War Look Like? -- Eugene K. Chow, The Week

War-gaming an extremely unlikely conflict.

Imagine this: In the early morning, a barrage of more than 1,000 Chinese ballistic and cruise missiles bombard Taiwanese civilian and military targets.

As the U.S. Air Force stationed in Okinawa prepares to rush to the aid of its sworn ally, Chinese cyber attacks wreak havoc on America's air defense and targeting systems. A second volley of ballistic missiles detonates in space, destroying critical military satellites, while a third rains down on the base, damaging jets and leaving runways unusable.

Meanwhile, a U.S. carrier strike group led by the USS George Washington has launched from Japan and is steaming towards the Taiwan Strait. Without the advanced warning and additional data supplied by satellites, the group's missile defense systems are at a disadvantage against the Chinese "carrier killer" missiles that are streaking towards them. Defense systems do their best, but a few missiles still hit their mark, leaving the USS George Washington's flight deck unusable. America's awesome air and sea power has been sidelined.

Read more ....

My Comment: The above analysis looks at the Chinese strategy of quick and successive strikes that would quickly bring the U.S. to the negotiating table in an environment that would favor the Chinese. But someone should remind the Chinese that the Japanese had this same exact viewpoint on the eve of Pearl Harbor in 1941 .... and we all know how that conflict ended.

Update: Erase that war with China 'in 2014' -- Peter Lee, Asia Times