Archive | Blog Posts

20 March 2011

George F. Will, Washington Post Op-Ed: “The Blue National Soil of China’s Navy”

George F. Will, “The Blue National Soil of China’s Navy,” Washington Post, 18 March 2011.
When some Chinese naval officers crossed the Pacific to visit the Naval War College here on an Atlantic-lapped island, they gazed reverently at a desk used by Capt. Alfred Thayer Mahan (1840-1914). This compliment to America’s preeminent naval strategist has scholars […]

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07 March 2011

NPR: “Obama to Name Commerce Secretary Locke Ambassador to China”

“Obama to Name Commerce Secretary Locke Ambassador to China,” National Public Radio, 7 March 2011.
President Obama is going to make history Tuesday by naming Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to be U.S. ambassador to China, making him the first American of known Chinese ancestry to be named to that post.
Several news outlets are reporting that the […]

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04 March 2011

Wall Street Journal: China Defense Budget to Increase by 12.7% to 601.1 Billion Yuan (US$91.4 billion) for 2011

Jason Dean, “China Defense Budget to Increase by 12.7%,” Wall Street Journal, 4 March 2011.
BEIJING—China’s government plans to increase its defense budget by 12.7% this year, a pickup from last year’s sharply slower growth that comes amid widening concerns about the capabilities and intentions of China’s military.
China expects to spend 601.1 billion yuan ($91.4 billion) […]

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01 March 2011

PLA Air Force IL-76 Transport Aircraft Land in Khartoum, Sudan En Route to Libya

滚动频道首页 > 媒体新闻滚动_搜狐资讯
中国空军运输机抵达喀土穆承担撤侨任务(组图)
来源:新华网
2011年03月01日20:09
作者:穆罕默德·巴比克尔3月1日,承担撤侨任务的中国空军运输机在苏丹喀土穆国际机场降落。经中央军委批准,空军2月28日派出4架伊尔-76飞机,经苏丹首都喀土穆赴利比亚执行接运中国在利比亚人员回国的任务。
新华社发(穆罕默德·巴比克尔摄)3月1日,承担撤侨任务的中国空军运输机在苏丹喀土穆国际机场降落。经中央军委批准,空军2月28日派出4架伊尔-76飞机,经苏丹首都喀土穆赴利比亚执行接运中国在利比亚人员回国的任务。新华社发(穆罕默德·巴比克尔摄)
For details on the air component of military support for China’s evacuation operations, see Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, “The PLA Air Force’s First Overseas Operational Deployment: Analysis of China’s decision to deploy IL-76 transport aircraft to Libya,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国), No. 27 (1 March 2011).

For more details on Beijing’s dispatching of the frigate […]

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01 March 2011

Xinhua: “Chinese Navy Frigate Arrives Waters off Libya for Escort Mission”

“Chinese Navy Frigate Arrives Waters off Libya for Escort Mission,” Xinhua, 1 March 2011.
Updated: 2011-03-01 20:00:00
BEIJING, March 1 (Xinhua) — A Chinese navy frigate has already reached mission waters off Libya on Tuesday to offer support and protection for ships evacuating Chinese nationals.
The frigate, Xuzhou, met with a Greek merchant vessel chartered by the Chinese […]

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28 February 2011

Zhongping News Agency: China’s Air Force Sends 4 IL-76 Military Transport Aircraft to Evacuate Chinese Nationals from Libya

中国空军派4架飞机接运中国在利比亚人员

http://www.chinareviewnews.com 2011-02-28 17:47:33

中评社北京2月28日电/国防部新闻事务局透露,经中央军委批准,空军派出4架伊尔-76飞机,于2月28日飞赴利比亚执行接运中国在利比亚人员的任务
For more details on Beijing’s dispatching of the frigate Xuzhou to escort ships transporting Chinese citizens from Libya, see:
Gabe Collins and Andrew Erickson, “Missile Frigate Xuzhou Transits Suez Canal, to Arrive off Libya ~Wednesday 2 March: China’s first operational deployment to Mediterranean addresses Libya’s evolving security situation,” China SignPost™ (洞察中国), No. 26 (27 February 2011).
Gabe […]

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22 February 2011

RAND Report Just Released–“Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century”

Roger Cliff, John Fei, Jeff Hagen, Elizabeth Hague, Eric Heginbotham, and John Stillion, Shaking the Heavens and Splitting the Earth: Chinese Air Force Employment Concepts in the 21st Century, MG-915-AF (Santa Monica, CA: RAND, 2011).
 Less than a decade ago, China’s air force was an antiquated service equipped almost exclusively with weapons based on 1950s-era Soviet […]

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22 February 2011

National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) Report Released: “People’s Liberation Army Air Force 2010”

People’s Liberation Army Air Force 2010 (National Air and Space Intelligence Center: Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, 1 August 2010).
This handbook is based on information compiled from open source Chinese publications, as well as discussions with Chinese military officials and US academicians. The intent of the study is to educate US Air Force members about […]

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18 February 2011

Global Times Claims Chinese Conventional Ballistic Missile with 4,000 km Range (Sufficient to Strike Guam) “Ready for Service” by 2015 & DF-21D is “Already Deployed in the Army”

Song Shengxia; Zhang Han and Huang Jingjing, “New Missile ‘Ready by 2015’: Global Times,” People’s Daily Online, 18 February 2011.
Global Times (环球时报, Huanqiu Shibao) is not an official newspaper. Published on weekdays, it focuses on international issues and foreign reaction to developments in China. But it is sponsored by and produced under the auspices of People’s Daily (人民日报, Renmin Ribao), the official […]

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15 January 2011

China-Specific Content from Vice Admiral David J. Dorsett, Deputy CNO for Information Dominance, Q&A with Media, 5 January 2011

Defense Writers Group, Vice Admiral David J. Dorsett Deputy CNO for Information Dominance, Transcript of Q&A, Air Force Magazine website, 5 January 2011.
[Edited to fix what appears to be mistranscription of “DF-21D”].

Q: Good morning, Admiral. About a year and a half ago Secretary Gates said that we wouldn’t see a Chinese stealth fighter for about […]

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04 January 2011

Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance (N2/N6): China Has Space-Based & Non-Space-Based C2 + ISR “capable of providing the targeting information necessary to employ the DF-21D” Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM)

In response to a query from Bloomberg news reporter Tony Capaccio, the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Information Dominance (N2/N6) provided the following responses on Monday 3 January 2011:
1. Does the US Navy agree with ADM Willard’s view that the Chinese have reached Initial Operational Capability (IOC) with the DF 21D?
Answer: The […]

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27 December 2010

Admiral Willard, COMPACOM, Tells Asahi Shimbun’s Yoichi Kato That China’s Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Has Reached Equivalent of “Initial Operational Capability” (IOC)–Full Transcript Just Released

Yoichi Kato, National Security Correspondent, “U.S. Commander Says China Aims to be a ‘Global Military’ Power,” Asahi Shimbun, 28 December 2010.
Q [Yoichi Kato]: Let me go into China’s anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) capabilities. What is the current status of China’s anti-ship ballistic missile development, and how close is it to actual operational deployment?
A [Admiral Robert F. […]

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26 December 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) #14–China Deploys World’s First Long-Range, Land-Based ‘Carrier Killer’: DF-21D Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Reaches “Initial Operational Capability” (IOC)

Andrew S. Erickson and Gabriel B. Collins, “China Deploys World’s First Long-Range, Land-Based ‘Carrier Killer’: DF-21D Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM) Reaches ‘Initial Operational Capability’ (IOC),” China SignPost™ (洞察中国) 14 (26 December 2010).
Japanese translation: “中国の対艦弾道ミサイル開発に関する最近の報道について”
[ACCOMPANYING GRAPHICS AVAILABLE IN FULL COLOR VIA LINKS TO PDF COPY ABOVE]
For further information on Chinese ASBM development, see also “China Testing Anti-Ship […]

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25 December 2010

China Testing Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM); U.S. Preparing Accordingly–Updated With Latest Analysis & Sources

First posted 28 March 2010, updated until 25 December 2010 with additional analysis and sources:
CURRENT STATUS:
Open source data offer significant evidence that China has prioritized and is proceeding rapidly with anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) development. A variety of Chinese sources have stated a desire to demonstrate the ability to threaten carrier strike groups (CSGs). China’s ASBM […]

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22 December 2010

Selected ASBM-Related Content from Ronald O’Rourke’s 1 December 2010 Congressional Research Service Report “China Naval Modernization”

Ronald O’Rourke, “China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress,” Congressional Research Service, 1 December 2010.

Selected Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM)-Related Content:
pp. 3-4
“DOD and other observers believe that the near-term focus of China’s military modernization effort, including its naval modernization effort, has been to develop military options for addressing the situation with Taiwan. […]

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10 December 2010

Admiral Walsh, Commander, U.S. Pacific Fleet: ASBM & Related Developments Respected But Not Necessarily Feared

The following, as reported on p. 83 of the December 2010 issue of Popular Mechanics, suggests a measured but proactive U.S. response to Chinese anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) development:
“Adm. Patrick Walsh, the current commander of the U.S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet, sees preparation as a way to avoid a future fight. ‘When we look at these […]

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05 December 2010

Indian Navy Chief Admiral Nirmal Verma: China’s ASBM Program “Matter of Concern”

“China’s ASBM Programme Matter of Concern: Navy Chief,” Outlook India, 2 December 2010.
Admiral Nirmal Verma, Chief of the Indian Navy, reportedly stated the following in response to specific questions regarding Chinese development of an anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM): “As far as a weapon like ASBM is concerned, if it is operationally fielded, certainly it is […]

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26 November 2010

China SignPost™ (洞察中国) Website Launched. 7 Research Notes Already Available.

A new dedicated website, China SignPost™ 洞察中国 (http://www.chinasignpost.com/), provides complete access to concise analyses regarding China’s domestic development and growing international presence. They are published regularly by Dr. Andrew Erickson and Mr. Gabe Collins. 7 Research Notes are already available, and more will follow soon. Posting of comments on this site is highly encouraged, as […]

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07 October 2010

25 September Chinese Long-Range Missile Flight Test Reported in Washington Times

Bill Gertz, “Chinese Missile Test,” Washington Times, 6 October 2010.
“A U.S. official confirmed that China’s military fired a missile from the Taiyuan missile center, about 320 miles southwest of Beijing, to Korla, a city in western China some 1,800 miles away” on 25 September.
“China watchers in Asia and the United States were alerted to the […]

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