– National Interest – This edition of Dragon Eye seeks to sketch out the undersea warfare competition in the western Pacific in slightly greater detail, by discussing a new Chinese-language article about China’s new “undersea Great Wall” (水下长城) that appeared in a late 2015 edition of China Ocean News (中国海洋报).

– War on the Rocks – Andrew Erickson writes that to the extent that any nation has a grand strategy, China surely does.

– South China Morning Post – New satellite images show China is making fast progress on its third aircraft carrier and expanding the shipyard where it is being built – potentially for more huge ships, according to analysts.

– National Interest – James Holmes provides some possible answers.

– South China Morning Post – Country’s first home-grown carrier may soon be ready for service but observers warn a few glitches may still need to be ironed out.

– War Zone – China’s navalized version of its Black Hawk clone breaks cover. Its capability is badly needed within the growing People’s Liberation Army Navy fleet.

– Defense News – A debate on the future of aircraft carriers is roiling the U.S. Department of Defense, and it is increasingly spilling out into the open.

– National Interest – Many threats can hide beneath the sea.

– National Interest – S’pose China built a battleship. What would such a sea creature look like, and how would it fare in the bare-knuckles world of naval diplomacy and warfare? This is no mere flight of fancy.

– Global Times – China’s latest bomber, the H-6N with refueling capability, made its debut at the National Day parade in Beijing on Tuesday, and Chinese military analysts said that the new bomber’s ability to take aerial refueling can give it a much longer operational range compared to its predecessor H-6K.

– War Zone – The rear of the design on display during a parade to mark the 70th founding of Communist China is completely different from an earlier prototype.

– War Zone – The aircraft is designed to rapidly gather intel in contested areas by surprise and especially when key satellites are no longer operational.

– War Zone – The spectacle in Tiananmen Square was full of previously unseen advanced Chinese military developments.

– National Interest – Chinese naval strategists want to push the United States Navy as far away as possible.

– War Zone – China’s first flattop amphibious assault ship will give the PLAN powerful new capabilities and a second example is already under construction.

– War Zone – It’s not about the weapons such a drone can carry, it’s about the targeting data it can reliably supply to far more powerful and longer-range weapons.

– Global Times – Type 075 to be deployed in landing missions, sends warning to Taiwan secessionists.

– War Zone – Pictures have emerged confirming that the newest variant of China’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force’s Xian H-6 bomber, the H-6N, does indeed have a semi-recessed area with a hard point for a very large big under its fuselage. This is reportedly meant to accommodate an air-launched derivative of the DF-21D anti-ship ballistic missile giving the aircraft an impressive stand-off capability against large enemy warships, especially aircraft carriers.

– National Interest – Hint: It isn’t just about defense and oil.

– National Interest – Beijing’s military is improving but so are its contributions to global problems like fighting Ebola or piracy.

– Global Times – The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) recently conducted a joint land assault exercise featuring multiple military branches near the island of Taiwan, which military experts said on Sunday shows the Chinese military is ready to unleash its full potential against Taiwan secessionist forces and intends to send a stern warning to countries that intervene in China’s internal affairs.

– Global Times – China and Thailand have signed a deal that will see a Chinese shipbuilding company build a Type 071E landing platform dock (LPD) warship for the Thai navy, a move which shows deepened arms trade cooperation between the two countries.

– China Daily – The Chinese Navy has decided to dispatch a Type 052D to take part in its latest escort mission. The CNS Xining, the fifth in the Type 052D class, is sailing toward the Gulf of Aden.

– National Interest – Beijing strategists go to school on Russian tactics in the Black Sea.

– National Interest – A new report reinforces problems U.S. military strategists have been discussing for years when it comes to the rise of Chinese military power. So what do we do about it?