Papers by Richard Bitzinger
Most aspiring great powers equate great power status with self-sufficiency, armaments production.... more Most aspiring great powers equate great power status with self-sufficiency, armaments production. China and India have both invested considerable resources over the past 60 years in establishing and nurturing indigenous military-industrial complexes (MICs). By the early 1990s, however, it was apparent that both countries' MICs were inadequate in delivering indigenously developed advanced conventional weaponry to their national militaries, due to technological inferiority and bloated, inefficient state-owned enterprise systems. Subsequently, both countries have undertaken efforts to reform their respective MICs, by injecting competition and other market-oriented changes, and by expanding their acquisition of cutting-edge military (and military-relevant civilian) technologies. China has made much more progress in reforming and modernizing its MIC, and the results can be seen in the types of vastly improved Chinese weapons systems coming off domestic assembly lines. India's MIC, meanwhile, seems to be still mired in Nehruvian socialist and protectionist past.
Asia is a region of growing militarization and insecurity. It is increasingly characterized by ri... more Asia is a region of growing militarization and insecurity. It is increasingly characterized by rising defense expenditures and rapidly modernizing militaries, and subsequently it is increasingly becoming a zone of potential conflict. These security concerns are exacerbated by Asian countries' expanding capacities for indigenous armaments production. Asian arms production is heavily influenced by concepts of techno-nationalism, which views autarky (self-sufficiency in armaments) as serving not only national defense needs, but also as maximizing national political, strategic, and economic autonomy. The technonationalist model is more than a set of goals; it also embodies a strategy for achieving autarky in armaments production, including the short-term exploitation of foreign-sourced technologies. What is the most interesting about Asian arms industries is how enduring they have been despite the fact that they produce few economic benefits and contribute so little to guaranteeing security of supply or expanding military-technological capacities for national defense. Asian armaments production has rarely been cost-effective or militarily significant in terms of turning out state-of-the-art military equipment. And yet, most large powers in Asia have not abandoned the idea of autarky in armaments production, often with explicit technonationalist industrial strategies. Despite problems with this technological-industrial approach, it is unlikely that these countries will abandon techno-nationalism anytime soon.
his paper examines defense industrialization in three leading arms-producing states in Asia – Ind... more his paper examines defense industrialization in three leading arms-producing states in Asia – India, Japan, and South Korea – and how their experiences compare to China’s recent defense industrial developments. It argues that despite decades of considerable effort and investments in pursuit of a techno- nationalist self-arming strategy, these countries have experienced only modest success when it comes to achieving such self-reliance. Most regional defense industrial bases lack the necessary design skills and technological expertise in order to truly innovate, and at best these countries act as ‘late innovators’ when it comes to armaments production. The experiences of these countries have lessons for China as it attempts to move into the first tier of arms-producing states. China has over the past 15 years made significant progress in modernizing its defense technological and industrial base. At the same time, China faces the same long-term challenges that currently confront other regional arms industries – that is, making techno-nationalism work at the later stages of innovation. This is particularly critical as China’s defense industry strives to move from a basically platform-centric to an increasingly network-centric technological–industrial process.
is chapter addresses recent trends in military modernization activities in the Asia-Paci c and ho... more is chapter addresses recent trends in military modernization activities in the Asia-Paci c and how new capabilities will a ect regional security.
D efense transformation has preoccupied the U.S. Defense Department for over a decade. In recent ... more D efense transformation has preoccupied the U.S. Defense Department for over a decade. In recent years as well, militaries and governments throughout the Asia-Pacific region have begun to pay attention to the promise and requirements of defense transformation and to the emerging information-based revolution in military affairs (RMA). Increasingly, their conceptions of defense transformation, along with their intentions, efforts, and capabilities to transform their militaries, could have a profound effect upon regional stability and security. These activities could particularly affect future American security interests and military operations in the Asia-Pacific-both due to their potential to influence joint operations and interoperability with U.S. forces and by endowing new capabilities upon potential competitors and adversaries-and therefore could inject new uncertainties and complications into the regional security calculus.
There is growing concern that Southeast Asia is in the midst of a regional arms race. Certainly m... more There is growing concern that Southeast Asia is in the midst of a regional arms race. Certainly many nations in the region have been on a veritable "shopping spree" for advanced conventional weaponry, and this has been enabled by a corresponding increase in military spending. However, these acquisitions do not fit the pattern of an "arms race" as laid out in prevailing theory: mutually adversarial relationships, explicit tit-for-tat arms acquisitions, the intention of seeking dominance over one's rivals through arming and intimidation, etc. Additionally, the actual numbers of arms being acquired are, for the most part, relatively small. That said, the regional re-arming process is significant in that the types of arms being acquired go beyond the "mere modernization" of regional armed forces and could greatly change the nature and character of potential regional conflicts. The resulting arms competition, or "arms dynamic", has at least the potential to contribute to a classical "security dilemma", a situation whereby actions taken by a country can actually undermine the security and stability that they were meant to increase.
The Defense Budget Project is an independent research organization committed to fostering a coher... more The Defense Budget Project is an independent research organization committed to fostering a coherent U.S. national security policy, which reflects a realistic assessment of available fiscal resources and national security needs over the long term.
The People's Republic of China has, since the 1950s, strived to become selfsupporting in the deve... more The People's Republic of China has, since the 1950s, strived to become selfsupporting in the development and production of armaments. The results of these endeavors, however, have been decidedly mixed. Since the late 1990s, China has engaged in a number of reforms intended to overhaul its defense industry, making it both more efficient and economically and technologically self-sustaining, as well as increasing its capacities to design, develop, and manufacture cutting-edge weaponry. Efforts to inject market forces into the local process of arms manufacturing-such as making defense firms more responsible for their own profits and losses, creating a professional management system, increasing inter-firm competition, introducing competitive bidding, and spurring corporative rationalization and consolidationhave, however, met with limited success, given the Chinese leadership's reluctance to truly "marketize" the arms industry.
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Papers by Richard Bitzinger