Andrew S. Erickson

Testimony of the Honorable Roscoe G. Bartlett, Hearing on “China’s Emergent Military Aerospace and Commercial Aviation Capabilities,” U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, Washington, DC, 20 May 2010, p. 3.

U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Maryland), the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee’s (HASC) Subcommittee on Air and Land Forces, testified on 20 May 2010 at a hearing by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission on “China’s Emergent Military Aerospace and Commercial Aviation Capabilities.” The following is an excerpt from Rep. Bartlett’s testimony:

… China’s efforts to enhance its anti-access capabilities bear directly upon the balance of air power in the Pacific Region. I would like to draw your attention to China’s development of a carrier-killer missile. U.S. Navy Adm. Robert Willard, US PACOM, testified to Congress on March 23, 2010 that China is “developing and testing a conventional anti-ship ballistic missile “designed specifically to target aircraft carriers” as part of its anti-access, area-denial efforts. This development [is being] studied closely by Andrew Erickson, a researcher at the China Maritime [Studies] Institute at the U.S. Naval War College. As reported in Defense News on April 4, 2010, “Chinese Anti-ship Missile Could Alter U.S. Power,” by Wendell Minnick, Andrew warns that

“…such a missile “could change the strategic equation” and “dramatically diminish” America’s power projection.”

“…a Chinese ASBM would affect U.S. strategy in the region, for even the “likelihood of a capability may have a large deterrent effect.” …

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For a full text version of the article to which Rep. Bartlett refers, see Wendell Minnick, “Chinese Anti-ship Missile Could Alter U.S. Power,” Defense News, 5 April 2010, p. 6.

For details on Chinese ASBM development, see “China Testing Anti-Ship Ballistic Missile (ASBM); U.S. Preparing Accordingly–Now Updated With Additional Sources.”