Why Does the Enemy Always Seem to Have a Faster Chain of Command?

Many of us have commanded and served at many levels within the military. Personally, I have commanded at the platoon, company and battalion level as well as serving as the DCO of a NATO Task Force at the Four-Star Level. At one time or another I always felt that my opposite number always had an easier and more responsive chain of command to work with than I did.

Today’s example is the People’s Republic of China. While the US scrambles around trying to figure out how to synergize the various government instruments of power to get the best bang for the buck in cyber influence, Russia and China are already down the Road.

The New York Times print edition of October 5, 2019 ran an article “Chinese Propaganda For The Digital Age”. You can find it at: https://nyti.ms/2Mnj4Xm, which is also a photo source. The article can be summed up in one of its paragraphs: “Beijing may be still struggling to influence the outside world more effectively, but at home it has learned how to compete with short videos, Hollywood movies and mobile games for the public’s attention span. While imposing tight censorship, the Communist Party has also learned to lean on the most popular artists and the most experienced internet companies to help it instill Chinese with patriotic zeal.”

You don’t have to speak Chinese to appreciate a good cartoon (see: http://bit.ly/311og8q, also a photo source). Notice the hero in the cartoon. He was scorned by his peers in elementary school and went on to be a pillar of the Party and an example to one and all.

The Chinese have also harnessed their own movie industry as another influence medium. Apparently, all this influence is working because of the positive impact it is having on the young adult audience. In the words of one Chinese Blogger ““When I was growing up, it was considered uncool to be overtly patriotic and take photos with the national flag,” he said. “Not anymore.”

I will hazard the guess that any attempt at “Patriotic” movies in the US market would not be a very profitable venture.

Reader comments invited.