If that's the case then I think it's counterproductive and the DoD is very disingenous. While I don;t expect or even want them to reveal any Top Secret type material but to purposely distort some facts and hypothesize China's military prowess based on 'lesser' data is a terrible practice. Besides the public here is a relative term. The average 'Joe Q. Public' is never going to be interested in reading something like this anyway. Only people like us would.
They are interested in distorting the facts for "people like us" my friend. The average Joe they can distract with mass media very easily. Besides the fact that it is launched by the Pentagon gives the report an air of authority. We have to keep in mind that these are the same people who invested in psychic espionage and thought that the MIG-25 was a super fighter, however. Ends to a mean or means to an end?