China S New Navy

A survey of Chinese naval operational history, Li’s book focuses on the major battles and important engagements of more than 1,200 Chinese naval operations from 1949-2009, including the joint landing campaigns in the Taiwan Strait Crises, naval battles in the South China Sea, air defense against American pilots during Operation Rolling Thunder, and anti-piracy operations in Africa. His findings elucidate the origin of and changes of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) by examining its adaptation, modernization, and setbacks in the past sixty years. Based upon newly available Chinese sources and personal interviews with retired generals, admirals, and PLA officers, the work offers Chinese perspective on the study of PLAN war fighting history. The untold operational stories of the Chinese captains, boatswains, sailors, gunners, and naval pilots provide a first-hand look at a naval officer and his crew during the Cold War and beyond. They also indicate important lessons learned by the naval leaders who faced the enemies during a period when the PLAN underwent a complex transformation. China’s New Navy explains how the Chinese Navy’s operational experience brought about its reform. The PLAN changed from a coastal defensive fleet in the 1950s, to a modern navy in the 2000s. It concludes that some early experiences are still relevant to Beijing’s leaders as they consider specific strategic and operational challenges. Li redefines and adapts such strategic Cold War concepts as nuclear deterrence and local warfare to be meaningful in today’s strategic context, one in which PLAN is ready to open fire first in a defensive offense against the other sea powers like the U.S. Navy.

Xi Jinping has made his ambitions for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) perfectly clear, there is no mystery what he wants, first, that China should become a "great maritime power" and secondly, that the PLA "become a world-class armed force by 2050." He wants this latter objective to be largely completed by 2035. China as a Twenty-First-Century Naval Power focuses on China's navy and how it is being transformed to satisfy the "world class" goal. Beginning with an exploration of why China is seeking to become such a major maritime power, author Michael McDevitt first explores the strategic rationale behind Xi's two objectives. China's reliance on foreign trade and overseas interests such as China's Belt and Road strategy. In turn this has created concerns within the senior levels of China's military about the vulnerability of its overseas interests and maritime life-lines. is a major theme. McDevitt dubs this China's "sea lane anxiety" and traces how this has required the PLA Navy to evolve from a "near seas"-focused navy to one that has global reach; a "blue water navy." He details how quickly this transformation has taken place, thanks to a patient step-by-step approach and abundant funding. The more than 10 years of anti-piracy patrols in the far reaches of the Indian Ocean has acted as a learning curve accelerator to "blue water" status. McDevitt then explores the PLA Navy's role in the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. He provides a detailed assessment of what the PLAN will be expected to do if Beijing chooses to attack Taiwan potentially triggering combat with America's "first responders" in East Asia, especially the U.S. Seventh Fleet and U.S. Fifth Air Force. He conducts a close exploration of how the PLA Navy fits into China's campaign plan aimed at keeping reinforcing U.S. forces at arm's length (what the Pentagon calls anti-access and area denial [A2/AD]) if war has broken out over Taiwan, or because of attacks on U.S. allies and friends that live in the shadow of China. McDevitt does not know how Xi defines "world class" but the evidence from the past 15 years of building a blue water force has already made the PLA Navy the second largest globally capable navy in the world. This book concludes with a forecast of what Xi's vision of a "world-class navy" might look like in the next fifteen years when the 2035 deadline is reached.

Bernard Cole takes a comprehensive look at China’s Navy, a Navy that continues to grow while the U.S. Navy shrinks. Of particular note, according to the author, is Beijing’s increased attention to guarding its vital sea lanes because of the nation’s growing dependence on maritime trade, especially energy supplies. He provides a thorough description of China’s naval establishment, including its personnel system, followed by a detailed view of its ships, submarines, and aircraft, all marked by technical sophistication and capability as China reaches the top rank of the world’s maritime powers. His evaluation is based on extensive interviews with Chinese and other naval experts, in-depth perusal of original documents, and visits to Chinese warships, training facilities, and shore establishments. The Great Wall at Sea is on the U.S. Navy's Professional Reading List.

Alfred Thayer Mahan has been called America’s nineteenth-century ‘evangelist of sea power’ and the intellectual father of the modern US Navy. His theories have a timeless appeal, and Chinese analysts now routinely invoke Mahan’s writings, exhorting their nation to build a powerful navy. Economics is the prime motivation for maritime reorientation, and securing the sea lanes that convey foreign energy supplies and other commodities now ranks near or at the top of China’s list of military priorities. This book is the first systematic effort to test the interplay between Western military thought and Chinese strategic traditions vis-à-vis the nautical arena. It uncovers some universal axioms about how theories of sea power influence the behaviour of great powers and examines how Mahanian thought could shape China’s encounters on the high seas. Empirical analysis adds a new dimension to the current debate over China’s ‘rise’ and its importance for international relations. The findings also clarify the possible implications of China’s maritime rise for the United States, and illuminate how the two powers can manage their bilateral interactions on the high seas. Chinese Naval Strategy in the 21st Century will be of much interest to students of naval history, Chinese politics and security studies.

Over the past fifteen years, the People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN's) missile fast-attack craft and amphibious fleets have been significantly modernized. While these two types of vessels have not increased in numbers, their capabilities have increased exponentially. This publication examines the People's Liberation Army's (PLA's) doctrine and training strategy in order to analyze present and predict future missions by these military vessels. China's deterrence posture is improved greatly by these ships and boats, which aid coastal water defense, and threaten Taiwanese attempts to gain independence. In addition, these two fleets improve China's long-range sealift capabilities, and help with the PLA's traditional, and new, nontraditional security practices. These fleets allow the PLAN to continue offshore operations, and begin "blue-water", or "far-seas" operations, helping the United States to predict the future nature of Chinese maritime missions. Related items: China collection of publications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/catalog/china Chinese Military Reforms in the Age of Xi Jinping: Drivers, Challenges, and Implications can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/chinese-military-reforms-age-xi-jinping-drivers-challenges-and-implications Indian and Chinese Engagement in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Comparative Assessment can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/indian-and-chinese-engagement-latin-america-and-caribbean U.S. Landpower in the South China Sea can be found here: https://bookstore.gpo.gov/products/us-landpower-south-china-sea

Contents: (1) Scope, Sources, and Terminology; (2) Overview of China¿s Naval Modern.; Inception; Elements of Modern. Effort; Limitations and Weaknesses; Reasons for Modern. Effort; Elements of China¿s Naval Modern.; Anti-Ship Ballistic Missiles; Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles; Subs.; Aircraft Carriers; Surface Combatants; Amphibious Ships; Maritime Surveill. and Targeting Systems; Operations Away From Home Waters; Comparing U.S. and Chinese Naval Capabilities; Potential Oversight Issues for Congress; China as a Defense-Planning Priority; (3) Potential Navy-Related Program Implications; Highly Capable Ships and Aircraft; Pacific Fleet¿s Share of the Navy; Homeporting Pacific Fleet Ships in Forward Locations; Larger vs. Smaller Ships.