Cybernetics
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2016
- Messages
- 841
- Reaction score
- 48
- Country
- Location
Even though I don't think this war is likely, it is an interesting thought experiment nonetheless and important in the realm of posturing and the grand negotiation.That is something to worry about. Not the air defense, but China's ability to repair very quickly. With technology, technique and manpower, thats easy to overcome when infrastructure is destroyed. You are able to build skyscrapers in few months.
Assets in wars are consumable, even hard/fixed assets. You mentioned "technology, technique and manpower", which roughly aggregates to industrial power. In a war China would be producing military assets in civilian factories. They have large output capacity, for example civilian industries in China produces 60% of the world's cement. That is the premise behind the 军民融合/military-civil integration (still early in its development). Vast majority of nations don't have the ability to shift into a war economy and the requirements for a war economy have changed since WW1/WW2. Something China should thank the Brits and Americans for is the notion of standardization in industrial affairs. An aspect of military-civil integration is standardizing civilian industry for military use. For example China's civilian RORO ships and other naval assets are being standardized to be able to be quickly converted into a military command and support system, all they require are some modules. The hull and decks are strengthened to carry MBTs and helicopters.
The idea isn't to repair the infrastructure in months during war time, but days and hours. It can be done quickly if you are only looking for utility.
30 story hotel fully furnished (electricity, pluming) in 15 days. Smaller buildings takes less than a week. There is a video about a 57 story building being complete in 19 days with a similar technique. This can be even faster if assembly is located along the coast and uses large modules or even finish a few thousand ton structure and be directly lifted/rolled onto the island, similar to the construction method of the HK-Zhuhai tunnel sections. There are mobile cranes for lifting 4000 tons and a shipbased crane that can lift 12,000 tons.
In a war scenario, China expects the runways to be bombed and mined, ships damaged, communications jammed or cut, adversary uses underwater/space/cyber assets, lack of air superiority, and struck with tactical nuclear weapons. Zhurihe training for example tries to account for this. The idea is to survive attrition, mitigate attrition, maintain organization and logistics within this environment.
Clearing and de-mining
Repairing
China would likely have to use floating dry docks to repair its destroyers and aircraft carriers.
In a decade, the islands could have nuclear powered electricity from ships or containerised nuclear power plants.