Since this site is called "China Talk," I will add this. 920 Pounds of Leverage: How China Can Ground the F-35 Without Firing a Shot. Some analysts now suspect China is content to watch the Iran conflict drag on, since every interceptor launched over Tel Aviv is one fewer available for a future contest over Taiwan. In a kinetic conflict, the side that controls the magnets controls the missiles. Replenishing the stockpile, by most estimates, will take years. I don't think China will ever use force to retake Taiwan. If it had to use force, it would attack the bases in the Western Pacific just like Iran attacks the bases in West Asia.
Is this a serious discussion? Are the people in charge capable of strategic planning? Consider their "accomplishments" during this century. E.g., they spent 20 years in Afghanistan replacing the Taliban with the Taliban. It is a pathetic joke that Kamala would make a better commander in chief.
The data center reference matters beyond the episode's geopolitics. Iranian Shahed drones hit AWS sites in the UAE on March 1 and Bahrain on April 1, taking down ME-CENTRAL-1 zones and exposing multi-AZ assumptions. The hyperscaler buildout map already had power and water as drivers. Adding kinetic risk inside known regions shifts site selection toward dispersion and toward less obvious geographies.
The Paths of Heaven, by Phillip Meilinger (evolution of AirPower)
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again, (autobiography) BG James Doolittle (evolution of military and civil aviation, and of course The Raid).
Hardware /Acquisition:
Kill Chain by Andrew Cockburn
Boyd by Robert Coram
Trillion dollar train wreck Bill Sweetman
Pilot point of view:
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars (Collins/Ward) —memoir of USAF Col (ret) Eileen Collins, Astronaut (evolution of USAF, women in the modern service)
Fighter Pilot (memoir of Robin Olds, Vietnam Ace) by Christina Olds
Into the Mouth of the Cat (The Story of Lance Sijan) by Malcom McConnell
Stranger to the Ground, Richard Bach (Pilot’s joy of flight)
Space:
Mastering Space War, by Paul Szymanski (Author has several books detailing his conclusions on evolution of “space forces” after decades in the field)
Pop culture: It’s a deep cut and hard to find a copy, but Bat-21 is well done movie based on an excellent book about the rescue of a USAF RB-57 crewmember shot down in Vietnam war.
Amen to China Talk putting a dent in my day. But it can't be omitted. Nothing else is close in insider (or perhaps recent insider) knowledge.
Since this site is called "China Talk," I will add this. 920 Pounds of Leverage: How China Can Ground the F-35 Without Firing a Shot. Some analysts now suspect China is content to watch the Iran conflict drag on, since every interceptor launched over Tel Aviv is one fewer available for a future contest over Taiwan. In a kinetic conflict, the side that controls the magnets controls the missiles. Replenishing the stockpile, by most estimates, will take years. I don't think China will ever use force to retake Taiwan. If it had to use force, it would attack the bases in the Western Pacific just like Iran attacks the bases in West Asia.
https://www.financialsense.com/blog/21641/920-pounds-leverage-how-china-can-ground-f-35-without-firing-shot
Is this a serious discussion? Are the people in charge capable of strategic planning? Consider their "accomplishments" during this century. E.g., they spent 20 years in Afghanistan replacing the Taliban with the Taliban. It is a pathetic joke that Kamala would make a better commander in chief.
The data center reference matters beyond the episode's geopolitics. Iranian Shahed drones hit AWS sites in the UAE on March 1 and Bahrain on April 1, taking down ME-CENTRAL-1 zones and exposing multi-AZ assumptions. The hyperscaler buildout map already had power and water as drivers. Adding kinetic risk inside known regions shifts site selection toward dispersion and toward less obvious geographies.
Books suggestions (per your request at the end…)
Airpower:
The Paths of Heaven, by Phillip Meilinger (evolution of AirPower)
I Could Never Be So Lucky Again, (autobiography) BG James Doolittle (evolution of military and civil aviation, and of course The Raid).
Hardware /Acquisition:
Kill Chain by Andrew Cockburn
Boyd by Robert Coram
Trillion dollar train wreck Bill Sweetman
Pilot point of view:
Through the Glass Ceiling to the Stars (Collins/Ward) —memoir of USAF Col (ret) Eileen Collins, Astronaut (evolution of USAF, women in the modern service)
Fighter Pilot (memoir of Robin Olds, Vietnam Ace) by Christina Olds
Into the Mouth of the Cat (The Story of Lance Sijan) by Malcom McConnell
Stranger to the Ground, Richard Bach (Pilot’s joy of flight)
Space:
Mastering Space War, by Paul Szymanski (Author has several books detailing his conclusions on evolution of “space forces” after decades in the field)
Pop culture: It’s a deep cut and hard to find a copy, but Bat-21 is well done movie based on an excellent book about the rescue of a USAF RB-57 crewmember shot down in Vietnam war.
Hey Justin - didn't you know? They were slready at the negotiating table when this all kicked off
Nothing like having conversations where only one side is presented.
I thought this was a China Substack. Guess not.