Can you win a war with only light infantry in the 21st century?

Re Bladerunner:
I don't want to speak for anyone here, but when I read solarz's initial scotland/england scenario I didn't consider it particularly political -- but it obviously is. But that scenario is one which, (compared to your china related one), would be less politicall "sensitive" to the crowd here as few people here (I'm going to be frank here) probably care that much about the unity of the UK in hypotheical scenario.

Whereas the China/insurgency one put up by you is obviously going to be more sensitive, and I can't help but feel you must feel a bit peeved by that UK one and responded with a scenario which would similarly peeve those in the china camp. Or maybe I'm completely wrong.
Either way I don't think solarz's intial post about the UK scenario was meant to be malicious.

So it's not a matter of whether it's political or not I suppose, but rather you (i.e.: a lot of members in a particular thread) care about the politics in the scenario enough which will cause deviation from the military discussion. For instance I doubt many of us on SDF would feel too much emotion whether the UK remains united in the near future, but there will be annoyance if you put up a scenario which somehow implicates china. We're all biased so whatever. But a bias or anger one may have does show your loyalty or vested interests to a particular faction.


EDIT: If people feel comfortable discussing your china scenario then great but the good thing about the UK one was few people here would have a bias for either side to win so could measure the situation more objectively.

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montyp165 said:

One thing that the PRC has to its advantage over the US in dealing with counterinsurgency isn't simply just a matter of infantry usage, but the larger picture of geopolitical strategy and implementation. If Russia or the various 'stans were to try to supply insurgents in China, there are quite a number of things that the PRC can do in turn that would cripple those states without necessarily firing at them. Tying this together with a more robust force capability (which is growing year by year) makes it much more so to bite the other side far worse in the process, particularly since everyone else is eating economic hardship far more so.

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Yeaaaah to some of your points, however i would have thought that countries use to the good life etc would feel the economic pinch alot more than countries whose people barely earn a couple of of dollars a day

Secondly . Ive seen it suggested that being a Moslem was more than about religion.It was a way of life, therefore they are prepared to sacrifice more.

Bltizo said:

Re Bladerunner:
I don't want to speak for anyone

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I wasnt peeved for the reason that you suggested. AS I explained earlier, the topic lacked any bearing with reality. You and Plawolf may be ok with that approch, but imo , if a scenario is based on nothing more than "flights of fantasy", than we may as well be reading comic books.

Although I express a points of view that people strongly disagreeor become annoyed with, I dont think I do it out of peevishness. I really thought the insurgency problem was worth exercising ones grey matter on. But never mind will we will pretend its gone away until the next outbreak and people will be wondering wtf

bladerunner said:

I wasnt peeved for the reason that you suggested. AS I explained earlier, the topic lacked any bearing with reality. You and Plawolf may be ok with that approch, but for me anyway , if a scenario is based on nothing more than "flights of fantasy", than we may as well read comic books.

Although I express a points of view that people strongly disagreeor become annoyed with, I dont think I do it out of peevishness

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You know, solarz probably did it out of unintentional examples, but to retaliate is unnecessary. Regardless, I do think you've delivered the point well, and we're all aware of what you want us to pay attention to.

As for that article that you've shown, you do know that state of the art MANPADS will not defend against artillery barrages, missiles, and maybe even stealth CAS missions right?

I don't know, that jamestown foundation article doesn't seem very good to me.
It puts forward the argument xinjiang based nukes could be under threat by militants if they ever manage a popular uprising, which kind of kills everything else it has to say for me.

At least the kiltland scenario is grounded in fiction and is obviously something near impossble to occur so we can focus on the military aspect. a potentially more sensitive chinese insurgency on the western frontiers would probably have other vested interests effecting discussion. I mean it'd be easier to discuss the military aspect of a fictonal scenario the outcome of which you wouldn't particularly care for, rather than a scenario where (even if fictional) your homeland is written into a state of upheavel.

But I'm not forcing anything of course, people discuss what they will discuss.


If we were to discuss how such an insurgency would occur, and the moves the PRC could make to counter it etc, that would be another thread altogether... But it will be so dependent on future gazing it won't be worth it. In some ways that scenario is just as unlikely as the scottish armed insurgency idea.

airsuperiority said:

You know, solarz probably did it out of unintentional examples, but to retaliate is unnecessary. Regardless, I do think you've delivered the point well, and we're all aware of what you want us to pay attention to.

As for that article that you've shown, you do know that state of the art MANPADS will not defend against artillery barrages, missiles, and maybe even stealth CAS missions right?

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Ahh you got me. I was using the **** afghan Usa situation as a tinplate for my scenario. At the Stans insistence Pla units on Hunt and destroy missions . beyound their borders .would be depowered.
because
1/ The Stans actually support the insurgents cause
2/ Being Despotic regeimes they did not want armoured units which could support a coup against them, tearing around the countryside

double post

Bltizo said:

I don't know, that jamestown foundation article doesn't seem very good to me.
It puts forward the argument xinjiang based nukes could be under threat by militants if they ever manage a popular uprising, which kind of kills everything else it has to say for me.

At least the kiltland scenario is grounded in fiction and is obviously something near impossble to occur so we can focus on the military aspect. a potentially more sensitive chinese insurgency on the western frontiers would probably have other vested interests effecting discussion. I mean it'd be easier to discuss the military aspect of a fictonal scenario the outcome of which you wouldn't particularly care for, rather than a scenario where (even if fictional) your homeland is written into a state of upheavel.

But I'm not forcing anything of course, people discuss what they will discuss.


If we were to discuss how such an insurgency would occur, and the moves the PRC could make to counter it etc, that would be another thread altogether... But it will be so dependent on future gazing it won't be worth it. In some ways that scenario is just as unlikely as the scottish armed insurgency idea.

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Yes there are some questionable points, however i still think all in all its thought provoking.
while the Xinjiang nkes being at risk seem rather fanciful,how about years earlier a dysfunctional Pakistan disintergrated with some of the nuc warheads falling into the wrong hands during the confusion?

bladerunner said:

Yes there are some questionable points, however i still think all in all its thought provoking.
while the Xinjiang nkes being at risk seem rather fanciful,how about years earlier a dysfunctional Pakistan disintergrated with some of the nuc warheads falling into the wrong hands during the confusion?

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What does any of that have to do with the topic? Please stop derailing this thread!