Air War Beyond the First Island Chain: Implications of China's Military Modernization for U.S. Maritime Strategy

摘要

Since China's provocative military exercises across the Taiwan straits in March 1996, the strait remains calm and little has changed diplomatically, but the balance of power in the region is changing. The remarkable rate in which China has modernized its military in the last decade has left many to question its intentions and whether its modernization is based on a change in maritime strategy. Many analysts believe that if China truly intends to expand its regional control to the 'second island chain,' they will have to build or acquire aircraft carriers to achieve this capability. Due to the technological challenges of building and maintaining aircraft carriers, China appears to be gaining a military capability to control the China Seas through non-conventional means. Although it is yet to be determined whether China has the capacity to piece together its modernized forces to achieve power projection beyond their costal waters, it is critical that U.S. maritime strategists recognize China is gaining the pieces without obtaining an aircraft carrier.