fatty
11-21-07, 01:24 PM
I don't know if anyone else out there is interested in Chinese naval doctrine, strategy, and policy, but I was researching for a paper on naval intelligence and stumbled upon this free, up-to-date, and rather large report published by the U.S. Office of Naval Intelligence.
It is clear, however, that “Offshore Defense” has evolved beyond the question of geography or geographic reach. Research strongly suggests that, today, the term “Offshore Defense” does not imply any geographic limits or boundaries. It does not appear that there is today, in fact, any official minimum or maximum distances out into the oceans associated with the “Offshore Defense” concept.
According to the PLA’s Academy of Military Science, “Prior to the 1980s, the PLAN considered ‘offshore’ to mean 200 nm from China’s coast. Under Deng Xiaoping’s guidance in the 1980s, China’s ‘offshore’ included the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, the Spratly Islands, the sea area inside and outside of Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands, and the sea area in the northern Pacific Ocean.”
In 1997, Jiang Zemin provided guidance to the PLAN that it “should focus on raising its offshore comprehensive combat capabilities within the first island chain, should increase nuclear and conventional deterrence and counterattack capabilities, and should gradually develop combat capabilities for distant ocean defense.”
So, how far “offshore” will “Offshore Defense” take the PLA Navy? According to PLAN officers, and implied in some PLAN publications, the answer appears to be…
…as far as the PLA Navy’s capabilities will allow it to operate task forces out at sea with the requisite amount of support and security.
I thought someone might find it to be interesting reading. Link (http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/oni/chinanavy2007.pdf)
It is clear, however, that “Offshore Defense” has evolved beyond the question of geography or geographic reach. Research strongly suggests that, today, the term “Offshore Defense” does not imply any geographic limits or boundaries. It does not appear that there is today, in fact, any official minimum or maximum distances out into the oceans associated with the “Offshore Defense” concept.
According to the PLA’s Academy of Military Science, “Prior to the 1980s, the PLAN considered ‘offshore’ to mean 200 nm from China’s coast. Under Deng Xiaoping’s guidance in the 1980s, China’s ‘offshore’ included the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, South China Sea, the Spratly Islands, the sea area inside and outside of Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands, and the sea area in the northern Pacific Ocean.”
In 1997, Jiang Zemin provided guidance to the PLAN that it “should focus on raising its offshore comprehensive combat capabilities within the first island chain, should increase nuclear and conventional deterrence and counterattack capabilities, and should gradually develop combat capabilities for distant ocean defense.”
So, how far “offshore” will “Offshore Defense” take the PLA Navy? According to PLAN officers, and implied in some PLAN publications, the answer appears to be…
…as far as the PLA Navy’s capabilities will allow it to operate task forces out at sea with the requisite amount of support and security.
I thought someone might find it to be interesting reading. Link (http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/oni/chinanavy2007.pdf)