In this brief, the Second Line of Defense team looks at ways to understand the evolution of Chinese military power.

1. Pu#ng
Together
the
Chinese
Military
Puzzle
Shaping
a
Global
Capability

2. Three
Ways
Forward
The
PRC
Build
Out
Its
Capabili:es
Building
Out
Capabili=es
§ Extended
Reach
for
Na:onal
Defense
By
Building
Sanctuaries
Against
ACack.
§ Nuclear
Buildup
and
An:-­‐
Access
and
An:-­‐Denial
as
Key
Elements.
§ Next
Level
is
Build
Up
of
“Tradi:onal”
Power
Projec:on
Tools,
Carriers,
AirliQ,
Tanking,
Bombers,
Long
Range
Missiles.
§ The
Third
Level
is
Experimen:ng
with
Game
Changing
Technologies,
Such
as
Hypersonics
or
Innova:ve
Uses
of
Space-­‐Based
Assets
to
Play
the
Game
Drama:cally
Differently

3. Building
Out
Chinese
Military
Power
Shaping
a
Building
Block
Approach
By
2030
have
legi:mate
power
projec:on
force
for
global
opera:ons
leveraging
strike
and
global
ISR
reach.
Build
Out
Global
Exports
and
Alliances
in
Global
Hot
Spots
(Double
Bounce:
Technology
Into
China
and
Then
Exported
in
Advancing
Products
from
China.
Extend
Reach
from
Mainland
China
Deeper
Into
the
Pacific
with
Mari:me,
Air
and
Missiles
Systems.
Build
Out
An:-­‐Access,
An:-­‐Denial
Na:onal
Protec:on
Tools.

4. Building
Out
Regional
Reach
A
Key
Building
Block
is
Extending
Reach
into
the
Pacific
An=-­‐Access,
An=-­‐Denial
§ Goal
is
to
Strengthen
China
Power
Base.
§ And
to
Provide
Founda:on
for
Reaching
Deeper
Into
the
Pacific.
Regional
Reach
§ Requires
PLA
to
Come
Out
into
the
Mari:me
and
Air
Domain.
§ Into
a
Crowded
and
Dangerous
Three
Dimensional
Opera:onal
Space.

5. Building
Out
Global
Presence
Tools
for
Chinese
Global
Power
Projec:on
Global
Exports
of
Missiles,
AircraQ
and
Capabili:es
to
Build
Global
Power
Rela:onships.
Par:cipate
in
Global
Missions,
Such
as
An:-­‐Piracy
Efforts.
Protect
Engagement
to
Provide
for
Raw
Materials
in
Africa
and
Elsewhere.

6. What
are
the
Cri=cal
Pieces?
Which
Pieces
Are
the
Gamechangers?
Dynamic
Environment
The
Threat
§ A
Chinese
Build
Out
is
§ Which
Ac:ons
Taken
by
Occuring
in
a
Very
Fluid
the
US
or
its
Allies
are
the
and
Dynamic
Strategic
biggest
threats
to
Chinese
Environment.
ascendency?
§ From
this
standpoint,
§ Which
ac:ons
will
the
what
are
the
most
crucial
Chinese
target
to
try
to
technologies
or
block?
capabili:es
which
are
§ Which
Asian
Partners
of
game
changing
for
the
the
United
States
are
Chinese?
most
crucial
to
isolate
or
undercut
their
military
moderniza:on?

7. Manage
the
Threat
An
American
Led
Asian
Alliance
is
a
Key
Barrier
Breaking
Coali=on
Power
§ Undercut
US
Military
Moderniza:on.
§ Informa:on
Warfare
as
Integral
Tool
to
Undercut
Compe:tors
§ Pressure
the
US
Lynchpin
Role
in
the
Pacific.
§ Undercut
Military
Moderniza:on
Efforts
by
Asian
Allies
of
the
United
States.
§ Use
SoQ
Power
to
Undercut
the
“Need”
for
a
Military
Response
to
the
PRC