China-U.S. Sea Showdown Predicted
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Date: Sun, 31 Jul 2005 02:00:43 -0000
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"...the greatest combat threat the Chinese pose to the United States
is a &#65533;tremendous capability to turn out a lot of conventionally tipp=
ed
ballistic missiles.&#65533; Should the Chinese develop an ability to maneuv=
er
those missiles &#65533; rather than have them simply fall from a ballistic
target track &#65533; &#65533;that would be a significant denial capability=
,"

http://www.defensenews.com/story.php?F=3D934527&C=3Damerica

Posted 07/25/05 15:18=20=20=09=20

China-U.S. Sea Showdown Predicted
By CHRISTOPHER P. CAVAS And ANDREW SCUTRO

On July 19, the Pentagon finally released its annual assessment of
China&#65533;s military strength. It was expected months earlier but was
reportedly held up because of its extreme sensitivity.

The 45-page, congressionally mandated report for 2005 finds that the
People&#65533;s Republic has continued modernizing its armed forces to clos=
e
a &#65533;perceived technology gap between modern Western forces and its
own,&#65533; while refining its doctrine to include asymmetric and
unconventional means.

The report estimates China&#65533;s 2005 defense budget to be $90 billion,
behind only the U.S. and Russia, &#65533;the largest in Asia&#65533; and ju=
st a
fraction of the U.S.&#65533;s roughly half-trillion-dollar defense budget.

The report &#65533; vetted by other agencies and departments &#65533; inclu=
des
inventories of China&#65533;s intercontinental ballistic missile force, whi=
ch
can hit all of the United States except southern Florida. Its
expanding naval and air forces as well as geopolitical considerations,
like the demand for oil to fuel its economy, are highlighted.

Of particular interest to the U.S. Navy is China&#65533;s acquisition of
eight quiet Russian-built, Kilo-class submarines and four
Sovremenny-class destroyers. Any Chinese aspirations to create a
global navy seem to be remote with the absence of aircraft carriers or
significant replenishment assets.

Also of concern has been China&#65533;s possible development of
over-the-horizon sensors and guided ballistic missiles for use against
ships, although few details are given in the report.

China&#65533;s naval buildup is a natural consequence of its strategic
position, an Asian affairs analyst told a Washington audience June 20.

&#65533;From a Beijing point of view,&#65533; retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. M=
ichael
McDevitt said at an American Enterprise Institute seminar on future
U.S. Navy strategy, &#65533;the vast majority of their outstanding,
unresolved sovereignty or strategic issues are maritime in nature.&#65533;

As a result, McDevitt said, &#65533;control of the western Pacific by the
U.S. Navy is certainly the greatest potential spoiler&#65533; of China&#655=
33;s
ability to deal with those issues.

McDevitt, an East Asia expert with the Center for Naval Analyses&#65533;
Center for Strategic Studies, Washington, said the greatest combat
threat the Chinese pose to the United States is a &#65533;tremendous
capability to turn out a lot of conventionally tipped ballistic
missiles.&#65533; Should the Chinese develop an ability to maneuver those
missiles &#65533; rather than have them simply fall from a ballistic target
track &#65533; &#65533;that would be a significant denial capability,&#6553=
3; he said.

Bob Work, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary
Assessments, said concern about Chinese military expansion does not
automatically translate into conflict. He said the U.S. Navy logically
would take the measure of any rising and potentially competitive
military power.

The Navy wants to maintain a &#65533;hedge against a disruptive maritime
competition in China.&#65533; But, he added, such a hedge &#65533;doesn&#65=
533;t mean you
have to fight them.&#65533;

McDevitt recommended several courses for the Navy to counter China&#65533;s
rise in maritime power:

=95 Maintain air superiority in the Taiwan Strait as a barrier to
Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

=95 Prepare to disrupt the targeting system China would use to control
ballistic missiles, and develop a capability to destroy the missiles
in flight.

=95 Improve its anti-submarine capabilities.

=95 Move more nuclear attack subs from Atlantic to Pacific.

The model for Chinese naval development seems to be &#65533;the Soviet Unio=
n
sea-denial strategy, updated with Chinese characteristics,&#65533; McDevitt
said, noting such a force would feature land-based aircraft carrying
cruise missiles. The strategy includes using subs offensively, similar
to what the Soviets did, and creating a &#65533;modest&#65533; amphibious c=
apability
&#65533;to deal with the Taiwan problem.&#65533;

The primary difference with the Chinese, McDevitt said, is a
developing effort to create maneuverable ballistic missiles, something
the Soviets never did. The threat, he said, is &#65533;the thing I think ha=
s
most people in the U.S. Navy concerned.&#65533; But the missile&#65533;s ta=
rgeting
network &#65533;would be highly vulnerable to disruption.&#65533;

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