China Cuts Military by 200,000 Troops

[oblivious]

Associated Press | January 09, 2006

SHANGHAI, China - China has cut the size of its military, the world's biggest, by 200,000 soldiers in an effort to create a stronger, more high-tech fighting force, the military said Monday.

...The latest campaign left the People's Liberation Army with 2.3 million troops at the end of 2005, stripping out military farms and other noncombat units and removing layers of bureaucracy, the Liberation Army Daily said.

...The military has shrunk by about 2 million troops since three rounds of demobilization began in 1985, the paper said. It said the latest cuts took place over three years.

...China announced its fourth double-digit spending increase in five years in 2005, raising military outlays by 12.6 percent to US$29.9 billion...The United States spent US$430 billion (euro355.5 billion) on its military in 2004.

http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,84849,00.html

[NMDemDist2]

1. they need the troops to man the factories and now that they have

a treaty with Russia no need to guard that long border quite so heavily

but look at the $$$ figures, how in the HELL do we spend $430 BILLION a year on the military??

good grief :banghead:

[The Backlash Cometh]

3. Military Industrial complex is America's last money maker.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. That's because they've got us by the balls through economic

manuevering. All they have to do is call in our debts and our economy goes kerplunk.

[oblivious]

4. Nice to be able to cut your forces by 10 per cent.

And only 1/15th the annual spending of the US.

Yet Rumsfeld is still complaining about skyrocketing Chinese defence spending.