China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power

Xi Jinping has made his ambitions for the People's Liberation Army (PLA) perfectly clear, there is no mystery what he wants, first, that China should become a "great maritime power" and secondly, that the PLA "become a world-class armed force by 2050." He wants this latter objective to be largely completed by 2035. China as a Twenty-First-Century Naval Power focuses on China's navy and how it is being transformed to satisfy the "world-class" goal. Beginning with an exploration of why China is seeking to become such a major maritime power, McDevitt first explores the strategic rationale behind Xi's two objectives. and traces how this has required the PLA Navy to evolve from a "near seas"-focused navy to one that has global reach; a "blue water navy." He details how quickly this transformation has taken place.

He provides a detailed assessment of what the PLAN will be expected to do if Beijing chooses to attack Taiwan potentially triggering combat with America's "first responders" in East Asia, especially the U.S. Seventh Fleet and U.S. Fifth Air Force. He conducts a close exploration of how the PLA Navy fits into China's campaign plan aimed at keeping reinforcing U.S. forces at arm's length (what the Pentagon calls anti-access and area denial [A2/AD]) if war has broken out over Taiwan, or because of attacks on U.S. allies and friends that live in the shadow of China. This book concludes with a forecast of what Xi's vision of a "world-class navy" might look like in the next fifteen years when the 2035 deadline is reached.

Michael McDevitt is a senior fellow at CNA, a Washington DC area non-profit research and analysis company. He has been involved in US security policy and strategy in the Asia-Pacific for the last three decades, in both government policy positions and, following his retirement from the US Navy, as an analyst and commentator. He served as a congressionally appointed Commissioner on the US-China Economic and Security and Review Commission, and his book China as a Twenty First Century Naval Power was recently published by the US Naval Institute Press. During his 34-year navy career he had four commands at sea, including an aircraft carrier battle group. His last assignment before retirement was a Commandant of the National War College in Washington DC.