Manchuria, China, and the Far Eastern Front
 

Hello all,

I was thinking about Soviet/Pact forces in the Far East (Mongolia, China, Siberia, Sakhalin & Kuriles) and I've been musing about the possibility of a Soviet-backed Manchurian People's Republic.

Canon sources mention that the Soviets have a series of cantonments in the area, and have at least 10 divisions in Manchuria itself. The possibility of a Soviet-backed MPR is also supported by the existance in 2300AD of Manchuria.

To start things off, I've written an order-of-battle for Manchuria.

Manchurian People’s Army (Mǎn rénmín jūn)

Order of Battle as of January 1, 1999.

Manchurian People’s Guard Corps
1st Niánqīng de mǎnzhōu People’s Guard Tank Division
101st Guards Tank Regiment
102nd Guards Tank Regiment
103rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment
1st Guards Artillery Battalion

2nd Dà quán People’s Guard Motorized Rifle Division
201st Guards Tank Regiment
202nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment
203rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment
2nd Guards Artillery Battalion

3rd Tiě chuí People’s Guard Motorized Rifle Division
301st Guards Tank Regiment
302nd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment
303rd Guards Motorized Rifle Regiment
3rd Guards Artillery Battalion

38th National Pacification Army
113th Motorized Rifle Division
501st Motorized Rifle Regiment
502nd Motorized Rifle Regiment
113rd Tank Battalion
1061st Artillery Battalion

114th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
901st Motorized Rifle Regiment
602nd Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
603rd Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1062nd Artillery Battalion

116th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
904th Motorized Rifle Regiment
605th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
606th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1063rd Artillery Battalion

39th National Pacification Army
117th Motorized Rifle Division
503rd Motorized Rifle Regiment
504th Motorized Rifle Regiment
117th Tank Battalion
1063rd Artillery Battalion

119th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
905th Motorized Rifle Regiment
607th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
608th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1064th Artillery Battalion

120th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
906th Motorized Rifle Regiment
609th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
610th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1065th Artillery Battalion

42nd National Pacification Army
124th Motorized Rifle Division
505th Motorized Rifle Regiment
506th Motorized Rifle Regiment
124th Tank Battalion
1066th Artillery Battalion

125th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
907th Motorized Rifle Regiment
611th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
612th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1067th Artillery Battalion

126th Motorized Pacification Rifle Division
908th Motorized Rifle Regiment
613th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
614th Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiment
1068th Artillery Battalion


Niánqīng de mǎnzhōu : Young Manchuria
Dà quán : Great Fist
Tiě chuí : Iron Mace

Tank Divisions, Regiments, and Battalions are organized along Soviet lines.

Guards Tank Regiments are equipped with older model T-72 Ural MBTs.

Motor Rifle Division Tank Battalions are equipped with T-54/55 or Type 59 MBTs.

Motorized Pacification Rifle Regiments are truck-borne light infantry.

Motorized Rifle Regiments in the Motorized Rifle Divisions are mounted on BMP or Chinese-equivalent Tracked APCs.

Motorized Rifle Regiments in the Motorized Pacification Rifle Divisions are mounted on BTR or Chinese-equivalent Wheeled APCs.

Additional material will be posted as I come up with it.

Feedback, recommentdations, and suggestions are invited.

I can't say anything but good post, because I haven't thought about that theater of the Twilight War much -- it's was one of the most cataclysmic theaters of the Twilight War, yet almost no development of it was ever done by GDW or later on online.

Thanks
 

Thanks for the good word.

I'll see what other goodies I can come up with. A Soviet-Pact based game in Manchuria would certainly be an interesting scenario.

9th Company meets Red Dawn. . .

My turn to thank you
 

Good work and very nice idea. I had the same idea in my game but failed to come up with anything like you have done. I'll use yours and this will be of a great help. I can't wait for your next post. Anything on airforce and naval elements? :)

Air Force follow-on
 

Glad to see the response, and I'm working on it.

On a related point, does anyone have any good information about the Chinese People's Liberation Army and the PLA Air Force in the '90s.

Oh hey! I happen to have just bought a handy book on that. I covers the PLAAF from 1951 to Present (and the date of the book is 2003). What do you need to know?

Just the thing
 

If it has an order-of-battle and a list of major airbases, that would be perfect. I have a book on world air forces, unfortunately its dated from the 1970s and it's PLAAF data reflects both a lack of hard information and China's Maoist military thinking of the day.

Let me know what you have there. I may have to snag a copy for myself. . .

Thanks

Lots of hard work in there. Thanks for contributing.

I think this idea is great and applaud you for contributing this, however I have some questions to the reasoning behind the tanks, APCs and trucks.

Where exactly do all of these armored vehicles come from? A look at the Soviet troops in the area reflects the scarcity of armor.

It wasn't long before 1999 that much of Chinese army was leg mobile. Would it not be more realistic to have all of these units light infantry with perhaps only small armored force as a operational maneuver group for the Corps.

Great stuff! I had thought of coming up with something for the Far East front around 2000, the farthest I had gotten was using Merc's Gazetteer as a road map for remaining Chinese factions that would be fighting the Soviets and/or each other.

I'm not suggesting it isn't worth pursuing, but didn't the Soviets engage in saturation nuclear bombardment? Is there anything left there or is it just a massive no-man's land of mile-wide craters and fallout, dotted with enough skulls to build a few tens of thousands of Giza Pyramid sized mounds?

The order of battle is the paper one. The sort of thing that delusional bunker-bound senior REMFs consult while pushing unit counters around a map table. The composition notes are for what they would look like under ideal conditions, or when they were originally established.

Most of the motorised rifles would be straight-leg, and even so-called tank units would likely have armored cars instead of tracks.

As far as I've imagined (work in progress disclaimer) the Manchurian People's Republic, and its Army are largely public relations exercises and an attempt to make up for a shortage of Soviet troops.

As for the "pyramids of glowing rubble" notions, my thinking is that most of the tactical nukes in the east were aimed at pursuing PLA formations, airfields, railyards, etc. I expect that the Beijing and Shanghai regions would be serving as a nightlight for the Australians, though.

We don't really have an accurate count of strikes or megatonnage used against China. My impression from reading the v1 chronology is that China got hit harder than the US. I don't know how much harder, though.

"The Chinese were literally blasted back to the Middle Ages."
- USSR Challenge article

Yeah; that's what I'm saying. I mean I realize that Twilight 2000 != Red Dawn and likewise, but one of the great lines from Powers Boothe is when Daryl asks:

"Well who is on our side?"

"The British...they won't be in it much longer. Them and four hundred million screaming China men."

"I thought there were a billion screaming Chinamen."

<tosses cup of bourbon into fire> "There were."

Love that movie:)

I remember a quote from V1 which was carried over all the way to v2.2: " Entire divisions were vaporized in imagined pursuit..."

OK, reading through this book, it's more the Chinese aircraft industry than anything else; there's nothing like ORBATs or lists of units. Picking through it, I can get an idea of which aircraft the PLAAF had on hand at a particular time, but that'll be the best I can do with this particular book. Will that help?

Iiiinnteresting. . . . . . . . . .
 

That could actually be very helpful. Aircraft types and knowing their main manufaturing centers would be most helpful.

I've noticed that many of the posts are concerned with just how brightly China glows in the dark in Tw2k. All available information suggests that they were well plastered in the war. However, China is a big country, with a vast selection of potential targets.

The idea that the Soviets would turn most of Manchuria (at least) into radioactive glass strains things a bit. Can anyone figure a list of theatre nuclear targets in China. Also, is there any additional information on exactly what the Soviets had managed to take before they feigned a retreat leading up to the main nuke exchange.

And, on a silly note

"In the Day, when China will make attempt to solve their overpopulation problem at the expense of Russian territories, our Strategic Missile Forces will solve China's overpopulation problem."
Russian Army folklore.

My favorite lines from the movie! I thought it was 500 million screaming Chinamen though.

Actually it is 600 million screaming Chinamen. LOL

"AVENGE ME!"

lol, fusilier's right

It certainly would be interesting to know what being blasted back to the Middle Ages means. Of the nuclear-armed powers in 1997, China is probably in the best condition to endure a major nuclear attack. This is not to say that China would get herself back into the war anytime soon. Still, it would be interesting to have some ideas about what various parts of China look like in 2000.

Very cool project. I also sort of assumed the 2300AD timeline prominence of Manchuria represented something to do with the majority of Chinese and Soviet combat power in the region being parked in that part of China. Seems like the only real logical reason why they'd pull ahead of the other two Chinese states, since that part of the country is probably also the most blasted and war torn.

I guess the first steps would be digging up a OOB for the PLA, and coming up with a target list for what was hit with nuclear weapons....hmmm....

I thought I had some kind of Chinese OOB hanging around somewhere, had trouble finding it.
It also has some data about China's Air Force as well.

I was trying to remember where I found it.....I think it was here LOL

Destroying a division on the road takes many fewer nukes than destroying a division that has been properly prepared. You can do the job with a relatively small package of tactical nuclear weapons if the division is bunched up and in the open the way they would be on the march. The effects of tactical nuclear weapons delivered against combat formations in Manchuria and Inner Mongolia will be hard on the locals nearby. As always, though, the nation-killers are the 1Mt devices used against cities. Is there a strike list for China anywhere?

If we dont find one, Im starting work on one now.

First draft. Sources from www.globalsecurity.org.

Looks good...you might want to look at some of the other port facilties...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ports_in_China

(Granted some ports listed there may not have been large enough to warrant a nuke in 1997, but my understanding was also that China was hit harder than any other country, so I think even a moderately large port could well be a target).

Also, it's not on the wiki list, presumably because of its status as a Special Administrative Region rather than part of the PRC proper, but I'd expect Hong Kong to be targetted at some point, either in July or November / December, (handover from the UK to the PRC was slated for 30 June 97 - I think it's reasonable that in the Twilight War timeline that could have been delayed, and am inclined to think that if HK was still a Crown Colony the Soviets might avoid targetting it in July as doing so would be an escalation of the nuclear exchange. Obviously that becomes a moot point from November onwards...)

Thank you Six, going into the second draft. :D
I agree about Hong Kong too, I'm wondering if i should separate the list into several strike waves.
Other additional targets Im going to add include HQ locations for ground forces, PLAAF airfields, and refinery locations. Its looking like the refinery list is going to be short though.

I'm not sure about the refineries - wikipedia only seems to list one (Fushun) but a quick look around the web suggests there may be quite a few more - for example this article from 2002 refers to there being nearly 130, with a further 110 having been closed since 1998.

http://www.china.org.cn/english/2002/Mar/28254.htm

Yes, Fushun was the only refinery I had found as well. But working from the link you gave, I found this list from a new report;

Plant 2007 Runs 2006 Runs Refining
Capacity
=================================================
Zhenhai 18.5 17.5 22.0
Maoming 13.0 14.0 13.5
Qilu 10.3 10.4 10.0
Jinling 11.5 10.6 13.5
Gaoqiao 8.0 9.5 11.3
Guangzhou 10.0 7.5 13.5
Fujian 4.0 4.0 4.0
Yangzi 8.0 8.0 8.0
Yanshan 9.0 8.0 16.0
Lanzhou 10.0 9.5 10.0
Dalian 12.0 12.0 20.0
WEPEC 7.7 8.5 10.0
Jinzhou 6.1 6.1 6.3
Jinxi 6.5 6.5 6.5
Dongxing 3.6 3.6 5.0
Hainan 7.8 2.2 8.0
=================================================
TOTAL 146.0 137.9 177.6
in mln bpd 2.92 2.76 3.55
(tonne= 7.3 barrels)


Anyway, better than nothing LOL :D

Went digging through some back issues of Military Balance and here is what Mongolia brought to the table in 1985.

Population: 1,750,000
Army: 25,000
2 Infantry Divisions (these are formed along Soviet Motor Rifle lines, but have one battalion per regiment "mothballed")
1 Infantry Brigade (in process of expanding to division)
140 MBT (mix of T-34/85, T-54, T-55)
20 BMP-1
10 SU-100 assault guns
70 BTR-60
40 BTR-152
60 Snapper/Sagger ATGM
mix of 76mm, 100mm, 122mm, 130mm and 152mm artillery pieces (park is est at about 180)
12 SA-2 SAM
40 37mm AA guns
30 57mm AA guns

Reserves: 40,000, will form one infantry division equipped with older weapons and bring active divisions up to full strength.

Air Force: 100 pilots; Soviet technicians form ground crews and support staff, est at 2,100.
1 Fighter Squadron with 12 MiG-21
2 Transport Squadrons with 20 An-2; 19 An-24; 1 An-26
1 Helicopter Squadron with 10 Mi-4

Para-Military Forces:
4 battalions of security police and 2-5 battalions of frontier guards: 18,000
Mongolian Society for the Promotion of the Army: 100,000, this is a pre-military training organization similar to the Soviet Union's DOSAAF.

Mongolia has a unique strategic situation in that it gives defensive depth to the Soviet Union's central Siberia against China. China still claims suzerainty over Mongolia (dating back to the Manchu Dynasty), this claim is rejected by Mongolia. Should China expand into Mongolia, the Soviets would find their major communications link (the Trans-Siberian Railway) within 100 miles of a very unfriendly frontier.

Mongolia guards a bit over 2,500 miles of border with China as well as provides forces to ensure the internal control and security of a large area with the lowest population density in the world. These tasks can only be conducted with massive Soviet support. Soviet Air Defense troops guard the key communications hub of Choibalsan in eastern Mongolia and Soviet MRBM units are based further east, near the Chinese border where they can cover large ares of China as well as US bases in South Korea and Okinawa. Soviet Forces, Mongolia consists of one combined arms army with three motor rifle and one tank division as well as extensive engineer support (10,000 engineers alone).

Mongolia has an alliance of friendship and mutual defense with the Soviet Union (dating back to 1936). This treaty provides for assistance in the event of an attack by a third party. Under its provisions, Mongolia military personnel served in North Korean during the Korean War and provided advisers to North Vietnam during the Vietnam War. Mongolia provided horses, food and winter clothing to the Soviet Union during World War II. Mongolia also has mutual defense treaties with other Communist countries in the Soviet orbit. While Mongolia is not a member of the Warsaw Pact, it is a member of COMECON (Council for Mutual Economic Assistance, this consists of the members of the Warsaw Pact, Mongolia and Cuba).

As far as airfields are concerned, Google Maps' satellite view can yield some interesting results. I tried that once on North Korea and was able to pick out lots of big and small airfields, including aircraft type in many cases.

Just to give you something while you wait for me to pick apart that book, here's a partial list of PLAAF inventory going back to 1985 and projected to 2025:

http://www.globalsecurity.org/milita...laaf-equip.htm

And here's an OOB on this page. It's current-day, but might give you something to extrapolate from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%...Army_Air_Force

Here is what North Korea (The Democractic People's Republic of Korea) brought into the Twilight War...source is the Military Balance series...

Population: 18,800,000
Army: 700,000
2 armored divisions
3 motor infantry divisions
35 infantry divisions
5 armored brigades
4 infantry brigades
Special Forces (100,000) consisting of:
23 ground, 3 amphibious and 1 airborne bdes
2 independent tank regiments
5 independent infantry regiments
250 artillery battalions
82 MRL battalions
5 SSM battalions
5 river crossing regiments (13 bns)

300 T-34
2,200 T-54/T-55/T-62
179 Type 59 MBT
100 PT-76
50 Type 62 lt tanks
140 BA-64 armored cars
200 BMP-1
1,000 BTR-40/-50/-60/-152 and Type 531 APCs
3,300 76mm/85mm/100mm/122mm/130mm/152mm towed artillery pieces
800 SU-76/SU-100 SP guns
11,000 82mm/120mm/160mm/240mm mortars
2,000 107mm/122mm/140mm/200mm/240mm MRLs
54 FROG-5/-7 SSMs
1,500 82mm/107mm RCLs and towed 45mm/57mm and 75mm antitank guns
8,000 23mm/37mm/57mm/85mm/100mm towed AA guns
1,000 ZSU-23-4 and ZSU-57-2 SP AA guns

Reserves: 230,000 forming 23 infantry divisions (maintained at cadre str)
another 1,000,000 trained reservists

Navy: 33,500
21 d-e submarines: 4 Sov-W, 4 Ch R-classes, 13 local construction
4 frigates (2 in reserve)
18 FAC(M) Soviet
151 FAC(G) mix of Soviet, Chinese and local
182 FAC(T) mix of Soviet, Chinese and local
32 large patrol craft: max of Soviet, Chinese and local
30 coastal patrol craft; mix of Soviet and local
9 LCU, 15 LCM, 75 LCVP
2 coastal defense artillery regiments with SM-4-1 SSMs and 130mm guns

Reserves: 40,000

Air Force: 51,000
3 light bomber squadrons with 70 Il-28
1 FGA sqn with 20 Su-7
9 FGA sqns with 290 MiG-15/-17
3 FGA sqns with 100 MiG-19/Chinese Q-5
12 interceptor sqns with 100 MiG-19 and 160 MiG-21
Transports include 250 An-2; 10 An-24; 5 Il-14; 4 Il-8; 1 Tu-154
Helicopters include 40 Mi-4, 20 Mi-8
Trainers include 20 YaK-11; 70 Yak-18; 100 MiG-15/-19/-21; 30 J-6
4 SAM Brigades (12 bns) with 250 SA-2 and 40 SA-3

Forces Abroad: Iran 300; Zimbabwe 130; Madagascar 100; Uganda 40

Paramilitary Forces: Security Forces and border guards: 38,000; Workers-Farmers Youth Red Guard: 1,760,000

North Korea's aims have remained unchanged since the 1953 armistice, the overthrow of the government of South Korea and the establish of a Communist government over the entire peninsula. Since 1953 there has been over 2,000 incidents, most of them in or near the DMZ and aimed at discouraging the US presence in Korea. The most serious of these incidents was the attempted assassination of the South Korea President by NK Commandos in January,1968, the seizure of the USS Pueblo that same month, the shooting down of a USAF EC-121 on April 15, 1969 and the murder of two unarmed US Army officers who were trimming trees in the DMZ in August 1976.

While North Korea has maintained its own policies since 1956 (independent of Soviet or Red Chinese influence) and has achieved a measure of economic independence, the DPRK is still dependent on both of its allies for military support. The DPRK is maintaining a cautious, friendly nonalignment with both Communist giants.

The DPRK's basic strategic problem is its proximity to a heavily armed and hostile non-Communist nation (South Korea, the Republic of Korea). The DPRK is within easy striking range of US bases in Japan and Okinawa. Its factories, hydroelectric plants and population centers are highly concentrated and its railroad and highway network is highly vulnerable to attack. Its long east and west coasts are vulnerable to amphibious attack and require a large and active patrol force.

The DPRK faces a continuing strategic and military problem in that it is walking a diplomatic tightrope between the worsening situation between China and the Soviets. The DPRK needs Russian backing to discourage incursions from China as well as providing military and economic support. The DPRK must also maintain friendly relations with China (who also has the longest border) as the DPRK still depends on military support from China in case of a renewed war with South Korea.

The principal supporter of the DPRK's military and its growing economy has been the Soviet Union. Due to this aid, the DPRK was able to mount its nearly successful attack on the ROK in June 1950. The Soviet Union also rebuilt the DPRK's shattered military and economy following the 1953 armistice. Since then, China has also contributed to the DPRKs military, although being incapable of providing the heavy support that the USSR provides.

When the DPRK began openly supporting Chinese policy in 1963, the Soviets cut off all military and economic aid, which include fuel and parts for the largely Soviet supplied air force. But in 1965, when the DPRK changed its pro-Peking position and drew closer again to the USSR, military and economic aid was resumed and even increased.

The DPRK has military aid treaties with both the Soviet Union and the People's Republic of China.

Of course, no discussion of the Far East can leave out the Republic of Korea (South Korea)...source is the Military Balance series.

Population: 39,400,000
Army: 540,000
2 mechanized infantry divisions (each of 3 bdes with a total of 3 mech, 3 mot inf
and 3 tank bns; a recon bn and a arty bde of three bns)
20 infantry divisions (each of three infantry regiments; 1 recon, 1 tank, and 1
engr bn and a arty group of 4 bns)
11 independent brigades: 3 airborne, 2 Special Forces, 1 Commando, 5 infantry
2 AA Arty bdes
2 SSM bns
2 SAM bdes
1 army aviation bde

1,200 M-47/M-48 MBTs
500 M-113 APCs
350 Fiat 6614 APCs
2,500 155mm SP, 175mm SP, 203mm SP, 105mm towed, 155mm towed,
203mm towed and 130mm MRLs
5,300 81mm and 107mm mortars
12 Honest John SSMs
255 76mm and 90mm towed antitank guns
3,200 57mm/75mm/90mm/106mm RCLs
66 Vulcan; 240 20mm and 40 40mm towed AA guns
110 HAWK SAMs
100 Nike Hercules SAMs
14 O-2A aircraft
100 UH-1B, 100 OH-6A, 25 Hughes 500MD, and 90 Scout helicopters
(on order are 38 M-109A2 SP 155mm; 500 TOW ATGM, 300 Stinger SAMs, 56 OH-6A and 25 Hughes 500MD)

Reserves:
Regular Army Reserves: 1,400,000 forming 23 infantry divisions and reinforcing active units.
Homeland Reserve Defense Force: 3,300,000

Navy: 29,000
11 destroyers (7 Gearing, 2 Sumner, 2 Fletcher)
8 frigates (1 Ulsan, 1 Rudderow, 6 Lawrence/Crosley)
3 Auk corvettes
11 FAC(M) (5 PSMM Mk5; 1 Asheville; 2 Kist)
8 large patrol craft
28 coastal patrol craft
8 coastal minesweepers
8 LST, 10 LSM, 6 LSU
(on order 1 d-e sub, 7 corvettes, 20 FAC(M))
Reserves: 25,000

Marines: 20,000
2 divisions
1 independent brigade
60 M-47, 80 LVTP-7
(on order 40 LVTP-7)
Reserves: 60,000

Air Force: 33,000
14 FGA sqns with 250 F-5A/B/E/F
4 FGA sqns with 70 F-86F and 6 A-10A
4 AD sqns with 70 F-4D/E
1 COIN sqn with 24 OV-10G, 8 A-37A
1 Recon sqn with 10 RF-5A
1 ASW sqn with 20 S-2A/F
1 ASW sqn with 10 Hughes 500MD helos
1 SAR sqn with 6 UH-1H, 20 UH-1B
5 tpt sqns with 10 C-54; 16 C-123J/K; 2 HS-748; 6 C-130H
Trainers include 20 T-28D, 40 T-33A, 14 T-37C, 20 T-41D, 35 F-5B, 64 F-5F
(on order 30 F-16A, 6 F-16B, 36 F-5E, 30 F-5F, 6 F-4D, 12 A-10A)
Reserves: 55,000

Paramilitary forces:
Civilian Defense Corps: 4,400,000
Student Homeland Defense Corps: 1,820,000

The current goal of the ROK is to maintain its independence in the face of the ever-present invasion threat from the DPRK (North Korea). Its secondary goal is to overthrow the DPRK regime and reunite the Korean peninsula under one government.

With the current support of the DPRK by Red China and the Soviet Union, and the ROK support from the United States has left the two Koreas in an uneasy deadlock which neither side dares to break.

The ROK's chief strategic vulnerability is the proximity of all ROK targets, including most of its heavy industry and population centers to air attacks from the DPRK, Red China and the Soviet Union. Second is the vulnerability of the ROK to ground infiltration or attack from the north. The ROK maintains a high level of security against the DPRK's infiltration and sabotage. In view of the strong anticommunism of the majority of South Koreans and their general support for the ROK government, there is no likelihood of indigenous guerrilla warfare. With continued US military commitment and the maintenance of a strong ROK defense structure, the chances of an all-out attack from the DPRK are slight. Should the Korean War be renewed, there is little possibility of either side mounting a quick knockout blow.

The United States maintains military advisory groups in Korea which equip and train all four ROK services. Most ROK units are under the operational control of the United Nations Command, which is Korea's senior military headquarters. The UN Commander is also the commander of the US Eighth Army. The US maintains an infantry division, an artillery brigade and various support units as well as an air wing stationed in Korea and another stationed in Okinawa. The US Seventh Fleet also maintains a carrier task force in the area.

The US and the ROK have a Mutual Defense Treaty.

Wow, per capita of population the ROK has an amazing amount of military manpower. I suppose if Kim Jong-Il was my neighbor I'd be hell bent on maintaining my military muscle too.

Here is another on the Far East....Japan....the source is the Military Balance series

Population: 119,400,000
Army: 156,000
1 armored division
12 infantry divisions (maintained at 7-9,000 personnel)
2 composite brigades
1 airborne brigade
1 artillery brigade
2 artillery groups
8 SAM groups
5 engineer brigades
1 helicopter brigade (2 bns)
5 helicopter groups (total of 24 sqns/dets)

560 Type 61 MBT
390 Type 74 MBT
425 Type 60 APC
115 Type 73 APC
380 towed 105mm hows
330 towed 155mm and Type 74 and 75 SP hows
70 towed 203mm guns and hows
50 Type 30 SSM
800 81mm mortars
560 107mm mortars
40 Type 75 SP 130mm MRLs
1,400 75mm/Carl Gustav 84mm/105mm RCLs
240 Type 64 ATGM
25 Type 79 ATGM
170 35mm twin, 37mm, 40mm and 75mm AA Guns (some SP)
144 HAWK SAMs
84 IHAWK SAMs
20 LR-1 ac
2 TL-1 ac
10 L-19 ac
2 AH-1S helo
56 KV-107 helo
80 UH-1H helo
65 UH-1B helo
36 TH-55 helo
139 OH-6D/J helo
(on order 84 Type 74 MBT, 9 Type 73 APC, 34 Type 75 155mm, 19 M-110A2 203mm SP, 8 Type 75 SP 130mm MRLs, 9 Type 79 ATGM, 221 Carl Gustav RCL, 49 Stinger, 8 Type 81 SAM, 48 IHAWK, 1 LR-1 ac, 6 OH-6D, 5 UH-1H, 12 AH-1S)
Reserves: 41,000

Navy: 42,000
14 d-e subs (4 Yushio, 7 Uzushio, 3 Asashio)
31 destroyers (2 Shirane, 2 Haruna, 2 Hatsuyuki, 3 Tachikaze, 1 Amatsukaze,
4 Takatsuki, 6 Yamagumo, 3 Minegumo, 3 Murasame, 3 Ayanami)
17 frigates (1 Yubari, 1 Ishikari, 11 Chikugo)
5 large patrol craft
5 FAC(T)
3 MCM support ships
31 coastal minesweepers
6 LST, 2 LSO, 37 LCVP
8 Maritime Recon sqns with 6 P-3C, 58 P-2J, 13 S2F-1, 16 PS-1
6 ASW Helo sqns with 55 HSS-2
1 MCM helo sqn with 7 KV-107
1 tpt sqn with 4 YS-11M, 1 B-65
1 utility sqn with 3 UP-2J
7 SAR flights with 8 US-1 ac; 6 S-61A, 8 S-62B helos
(on order 3 Yushio subs; 1 Hatsuyuki DD; 1 Yubari frigate; 2 MCM ships; 17 P-3C, 2 KM-2, 3 TC-90 ac, 14 HSS-2B, 5 S-61A, 20 H-6D helos)
Reserves: 600

Air Force: 43,000
3 FGA sqns with 56 F-1
1 interceptor sqn with 20 F-15J/DJ
6 interceptor sqns with 112 F-4EJ
3 interceptor sqns with 61 F-104J
1 recon sqn with 12 RF-4EJ
3 tpt sqns with 25 C-1, 6 YS-11
9 SAR detachments with 29 KV-107
10 training sqns with 40 T-1A/B, 59 T-2, 44 T-3, 50 T-33A
19 SAM sqns with 180 Nike-J SAMs
(on order 51 F-15J, 6 F-15DJ, 5 F-1, 4 C-130H, 12 T-2, 6 E-2C AEW)

Japan's basic military policy is to assure its independence and territorial integrity by the maintenance of forces solely for defensive purposes. It maintains a mutual security treaty with the US.

Unique among nations, the Japanese Constitution rejects war or the threat of armed force as instruments of national policy. This viewpoint also reflects the majority of Japanese citizens.

The members of the Japanese Self Defense Forces are considered to be civil servants; there is no separate military legal authority such as is found in the armed forces of practically every other nation in the world. Crimes or offenses committed by Japanese military personnel are tried in civilian courts.

Consistent with its general policy and also reflecting its experience as the only nation to have ever suffered a nuclear attack, Japan refuses to consider the development of nuclear weapons and does not allow the positioning of nuclear weapons on its soil.

Japan' greatest strategic weakness is its lack of material natural resources. Save for coal, Japan is dependent upon imports for all of the raw materials required for its industry. During the oil embargo of 1973, Japan was hard hit (42% of its oil comes from the Middle East) and the steep rise in oil prices threatens Japan's economic position. Japan is particularly concerned about maintaining a friendly situation in South Korea and is uneasy about the possibility that US troops will be withdrawn.

Another vulnerability is the concentration of the Japanese population and its industry, this concentration was a major factor in the US strategic bombing of Japan during WWII. The Japanese heartland is within easy range of air and missile bases in Siberia, North Korea and Red China, to say nothing of missile submarines.

Japan's only foreign alliance is its Treat of Mutual Cooperation and Security with the US. This treaty provides for military assistance as well as the maintenance of a number of bases that were originally established in the post-WWII era. In 1970, Japan announced its intention to continue the treaty in force indefinitely.