This is obviously a long discussion, but in summary the world is changing and if one wants to have a say in that new world one can't pretend that it isn't happening. China is working on all fronts while the west is coming up with excuses why it doesn't matter.
Jack Ma summed it up pretty well — the US spent something close to $15 trillion fighting wars over the last century. China has been taking that money and investing it in building future economic advantage instead because it believes the wars of the future will be economic rather than kinetic.
There is waste and fraud everywhere, including China. You can also find anecdotal evidence everywhere. It's impossible to piece this together into a singular narrative.
I think it's fair to say fraud is pervasive in China in a way that's not in many other western countries. Every time I have to do anything with China businesswise I'm reminded of that reality.
Yeah, that's part of the DoD budget. Really weird, but that's how we budget for things in the USA.
Then there are mixed-projects, like Military colleges and schools. Officers are all college-educated, so when they leave the military, they still benefit private industry all the same. Or DARPA's contributions to the advancements of science (Adoption of TCP/IP and other long-term research projects)
It's a minuscule part of the DoD budget. A rounding error.
The majority is spent by the army, navy, and air force. The biggest expenditure category is operation and maintenance, followed by personnel, then procurement.