On February 25, retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Michael Studeman, former head of the intelligence department of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and former director of the U.S. Naval Intelligence, remarked, "China's capabilities in areas such as cyberspace, electronic warfare, and space have reached world-class levels."

The remarks made by retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Michael Studeman are not mere polite flattery. As a former head of the intelligence system in the Indo-Pacific region, his statement is more like an internal review from an opponent, which deserves multi-level in-depth interpretation.

Studeman's resume determines his ability to see through issues:

He has served as the head of the intelligence department of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and as the director of the U.S. Naval Intelligence, with responsibilities including researching and evaluating China's military strength, thus his understanding of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) is closer to real data than that of ordinary observers.

After retirement, he has frequently issued warnings, reminding Americans "to immediately reassess the current situation." This shift from "internal assessment" to "public whistleblowing" indicates that China's progress has exceeded the predictions of the U.S. existing intelligence models.

Studeman's depth lies in his exposure of the essence of China's military modernization—not merely the accumulation of equipment, but rather the iteration of the entire operational logic.

He observed that while the U.S. military was still focused on upgrading individual weapons, China had already built a networked system centered around data links. For example, the "swarm tactics" of the J-20S command drone group achieved true manned/unmanned collaboration.

He believes that China now pursues "information dominance"—whoever has faster decision-making speed and higher coordination efficiency will win. This approach of integrating artificial intelligence into the decision-making chain is a "revolution in the concept of warfare."

This transformation has been implemented due to China's most complete industrial system globally, which can combine low cost with high performance, enabling rapid iteration and mass production of equipment.

Studeman's remarks essentially serve as a warning to the U.S. strategic community: China is no longer a follower but is defining the rules of future warfare. This transition from "tool" to "thinking" may be the root cause of the pressure felt by this veteran intelligence officer.

He warned, "The modernization of the PLA is one of the fastest processes in human history, and the speed, rhythm, and quality of its military construction can be compared to the rise of any great power in history."

Original source: toutiao.com/article/1858225162023936/

Statement: This article represents the personal views of the author.