China has a well-known history of replicating, copying, and stealing U.S. weapons development secrets. U.S. officials have tracked this trend for many years. It appears to expand beyond the somewhat visible or transparent Chinese effort to “borrow” U.S. fifth-generation stealth fighter external configurations. The Defense Department has repeatedly cited concerns that the Chinese Chengdu J-20 and Shenyang J-31 Gyrfalcon look like F-35 fighter jet and F-22 Raptor. But the comparisons don’t stop there. China has built drones, armoured vehicles and even aircraft carriers that look like the USS Ford.
Now, there appears to be a lesser recognized yet equally troubling Chinese effort to replicate U.S. strategies, tactics, modernization efforts, and training methods. A recently published Defense Department report, titled Military and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China, shows evidence of this trend. The report states that China is increasing the “realism of its training and the effectiveness of Opposition Force units (OPFOR).” Read More…