PLAN

China To Japan: Boo, We Could Have Killed You; Radar Painting Escalates Dispute

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WASHINGTON: “Pure intimidation” is how one of America’s most respected analysts of the Chinese military characterized the act of a Peoples Liberation Army Navy skipper who “painted” a Japanese naval ship with his fire control radar.

The action raises the stakes in an already troubled dispute between the two Pacific powers as they maneuver for influence in the South China Sea, with the current focus being on the uninhabited Senkaku Islands. What’s particularly worrying is the involvement of warships, when previous confrontations were largely limited to Japanese Coast Guard and Chinese non-military “maritime surveillance” vessels. Keep reading →

Published February 5, 2013 at 6:15 PM

Chinese Cross Arctic For First Time

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What growing naval power has just ventured across the Arctic for the first time? http://t.co/CyV8SJBH colinclarkaol

Published August 20, 2012 at 2:10 PM

Defending the Littorals: A Key Challenge For U.S. Pacific Strategy

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This is the second in a series of commentaries defense consultant and author Robbin Laird, a member of the Breaking Defense Board of Contributors, is penning about how the U.S. can and should shape its forces to perform the Asia strategy pivot. As a key part of that, he’ll be looking closely at what he calls “several neglected aspects of a sustainable power projection force for the 21st century.” The Editor.

The Pacific is vast. While some may bridle and note the obvious nature of this, this simple fact is often either not understood and not reflected upon when strategists consider the region’s nature. This is not the Mediterranean; this is not the Indian Ocean; this is not even the Atlantic. Keep reading →

Published August 14, 2012 at 5:15 PM

Your Move, Beijing: Big Year Ahead for Chinese Navy

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At a meeting in Beijing in December, Chinese president Hu Jintao had a powerful message for officials from the People’s Liberation Army Navy. “Prepare for war,” Hu said, using a Mandarin term — junshi douzheng — that means “conflict in general.”

Amplified and misrepresented by the foreign media, Hu’s words echoed across Asia and the Pacific Ocean, alarming observers in Japan, India and other nations and eliciting a cool response from the U.S. Navy. “Nobody’s looking for a scrap here,” Adm. John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, told AFP. “Certainly we wouldn’t begrudge any other nation the opportunity to develop naval forces.” Keep reading →

Published December 23, 2011 at 11:02 AM

China Surprises World With Early Carrier Trials; ‘Significant’ Increase in Conflicts Predicted

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The official Chinese news agency announced late yesterday that the country’s first aircraft carrier has begun initial sea trials, in a move that will send shockwaves throughout the Pacific.


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Published August 10, 2011 at 10:04 AM