【By Observer Group, Liu Bai】The "China copycat theory" is becoming increasingly hard to convince people of.

"China's development speed is simply amazing." At a space power conference on December 11 local time, the head of the U.S. Air Force, Air Force Secretary Troy Meink, warned that China's rapid progress in space and missile technology is not simply copying the U.S. system, but rather demonstrates significant independent innovation capabilities. He urged the United States to accelerate innovation and optimize manufacturing and procurement models to address this challenge.

According to the U.S. "Space News" website, Meink said at the meeting that he recently visited the Space Force launch facilities at Cape Canaveral, Florida, and was shocked by the high similarity between China's latest launch site and the U.S. launch site.

"If you look at some of the recently released videos, it looks like some of our factories nearby," he said, referring to the manufacturing base on the Space Coast of Florida.

U.S. Space Force senior leaders and external analysts are increasingly focusing on China's continuously improving industrial base, launch frequency, and R&D cycle.

Meink also expressed similar concerns: "Their pace of catching up in the launch field is impressive," he said. For decades, the U.S. has dominated the global launch market, "now you can see they are making great progress and are fully catching up."

"They are indeed copying us in many aspects," he said, "but don't misunderstand. They are also highly innovative. This is not just simple copying. Their ability to innovate in operational models is extremely strong, which further forces us to accelerate our innovation."

On December 11, Meink delivered a keynote speech at the Space Forces Association (SFA) Space Power Conference. U.S. Air Force

Meink also said that China's progress in missile development is part of a broader trend.

"The speed of progress in the missile field by countries such as China is shocking," he said. Missiles require repeated and reliable testing, "they are not all stealing technology from us; many achievements are independently developed. Therefore, we must once again speed up."

According to the U.S. Department of Defense assessment, China's expanding missile arsenal includes conventional ballistic missiles, hypersonic glide vehicles, and anti-satellite systems. Analysts say these capabilities are a powerful support for China's strategy in the Indo-Pacific region to counter U.S. forces and block U.S. access to disputed areas.

Meink said his core concern is the scale of China's production and deployment of equipment far exceeds that of the United States. "Honestly, no one has ever seen so many systems. Their rate of progress is simply amazing."

In contrast, the U.S. defense production line usually operates in small batches, facing supply chain limitations and slower procurement cycles. U.S. defense officials said the Pentagon is trying to shift to more flexible manufacturing and procurement models, but long-standing industrial bottlenecks remain unsolved.

Meink said that China's past system development speed was about half that of the United States. At that time, some observers underestimated the challenges posed by China, thinking that Beijing was "just stealing technology from us" and would remain behind by several generations for a long time.

"However, this is completely not true," he said. Now, China not only in the space field, but in all fields has narrowed the gap.

He added that China is a worrying opponent. "But ultimately, if you can deal with this threat, you can deal with almost any threat. They are not the only threat we need to worry about, but they are clearly the dominant threat. If we cannot deal with it, we will be in trouble."

His remarks align with multiple assessments by the Pentagon. The Pentagon has designated China as the "pacing challenge" adversary in the U.S. space field, stating that China is deploying reconnaissance constellations, maneuverable satellites, and anti-space systems, while expanding civil-military industrial cooperation. The concept of "pacing challenge" was introduced by former U.S. Defense Secretary Austin, used to describe an unignorable and continuously growing threat.

Meink issued this warning as the Pentagon and the defense industry base are seeking to accelerate the R&D cycle, adopt more flexible procurement methods, and increase capacity.

Although the Chinese side has repeatedly emphasized that China adheres to the path of peaceful development, implements a defensive national defense policy, and develops military strength solely to safeguard national sovereignty, security, and development interests. But this U.S. Air Force Secretary is not the first time expressing such concerns.

At a virtual meeting of the Air Force Association (AFA) on September 22, when talking about a study related to China several years ago, Meink remembered vividly:

"When the data first appeared before me, I thought there was a mistake, how could they develop so much faster than us?"

He said that poor readiness status and China's continuous rapid development are the main challenges for the U.S. Air Force. He criticized the U.S. military's logistics support situation harshly, but admitted that the Chinese military is now applying new technologies at a much faster pace than the Pentagon. Facing China's increasing investments in new fighter jets and space capabilities, the U.S. must make similar commitments to ensure its own advantages, otherwise it will fall behind its opponents.

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Original: toutiao.com/article/7582817845210333711/

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