– US Naval Institute Proceedings – Sea control in the Indo-Pacific is a top priority for both the United States and China—and the People’s Liberation Army Navy’s maritime capabilities are steadily evolving.

– National Interest – To ensure that Beijing cannot use force—or the threat of force—to change the status quo in the Asia-Pacific, the U.S. must maintain military capabilities that will deter any threatening or aggressive actions by China—even as they cooperate in areas of shared interest. At a minimum, the U.S. must continue to prevent force from being used to resolve Asia-Pacific disputes and cooperate where it can until Beijing embraces the mutual efforts required for the two Pacific powers to achieve durable, if frequently or even continuously competitive, coexistence. To ensure this, the U.S. should demonstrate the capability to deny China the ability to seize and hold disputed territories. Given the inherent defensiveness of the U.S. approach, it should be possible to meet core objectives at an affordable price through the most critical timeframe—likely over the coming decade—with a bottom-line strategy of deterrence by denial.

– The National Interest – A nice look at the links between Ancient Greece and current affairs in the South China Sea.

– The Diplomat – China won the Cowpens/Liaoning encounter in the South China Sea. What lessons should the US draw?

– Chinese Navy – Five Ships of the Chinese Navy You Really Ought to Know About – The Chinese navy isn’t just an aircraft carrier and submarines—here are five other warships you’ll be seeing a lot of.

– War is Boring – Will America shove back?

– BBC – China says one of its warships “encountered” a US vessel, confirming US reports of a near-collision in the South China Sea earlier this month.

– AP – An official Chinese newspaper on Monday accused the U.S. Navy of harassing a Chinese squadron earlier this month, shortly before a near collision that marked the two nations’ most serious sea confrontation in years.

– Air Force – The DF-21D missile is a legitimate threat to carrier-based airpower, but at times the concern has bordered on hysteria.

– Stars and Stripes – On Dec. 5, a Chinese warship nearly collided with a U.S. Navy guided missile cruiser, according to U.S. Pacific Fleet. “While lawfully operating in international waters in the South China Sea, USS Cowpens (CG 63) and a PLA Navy vessel had an encounter that required maneuvering to avoid a collision. This incident underscores the need to ensure the highest standards of professional seamanship, including communications between vessels, to mitigate the risk of an unintended incident or mishap,” PACFLT said in a statement.

– The Diplomat – Acquisition of the advanced Su-35 fighter would give China some significant new capabilities.

– Aviation Week – East Asia and the U.S. had better get used to this sort of thing. China’s heavy-handed declaration of an unusually demanding air defense identification zone (ADIZ) is only one in a series of moves in which the country will gradually try to exert control over its maritime approaches. Worryingly, it may also be an early example of China’s Communist Party contriving to raise international tension as a means of rallying popular support at home.

– National Interest – On October 27, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency released a slideshow showing what the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) touted as the country’s first nuclear ballistic-missile submarine (SSBN). Though the “unveiling” of China’s Type 092 Xia-class SSBN comes as no surprise, Beijing’s open display of the submarine, coupled with technical improvements to the Chinese JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), raises the question of whether China is approaching a credible sea-based nuclear deterrent.

– Wall Street Journal – Effective 10 a.m. on Nov. 23, Beijing declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) covering a significant portion of the East China Sea. The Chinese air force soon conducted its first patrol in the zone, with two large reconnaissance aircraft monitoring the area, early warning aircraft supporting and fighters providing cover.

– The Diplomat – Last week a senior PLA officer detailed China’s plans for establishing air and sea control over the South China Sea.

– BBC – China has demarcated an “air-defence identification zone” over an area of the East China Sea, covering islands that are also claimed by Japan.

– Defense News – For the first time in the country’s history, China’s sea-based nuclear deterrent nears initial operational capability (IOC), according to a forthcoming report by a US congressional commission on China. China’s JL-2 submarine-launched ballistic missile could reach IOC later this year, according to an early draft of the report by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission.

– Want China Times – After the Shenyang J-15, China’s first carrier-based fighter aircraft was repainted in military grey, Chinese military analyst Du Wenlong has told the state-run China News Service that the aircraft is almost ready for service in the PLA Navy Air Force.

– Project 2049 Institute – A big picture look at China’s current military strategy.

– The Diplomat – The PLA Marines are at present a relatively small amphibious assault force, numbering just two brigades with roughly 6,000 men each. Nevertheless, they are reinforced by naval and air power, amphibious artillery and armor. The PLA Marines are considered an elite special operations force, and theoretically therefore “punch above their weight class.” They are well trained and well equipped, using both the latest Chinese and Russian technology. They are trained for amphibious and airborne assault operations. While they were originally designed to be a much larger mass invasion force, they have quickly evolved into a rapid deployment invasion force specifically tasked for assault operations. Despite this, however, the PLA Marines are still very much a work in progress (as is arguably the PLA Navy in general), and currently lack the full necessary capabilities for a cross-Strait invasion of Taiwan. They are, however, rapidly developing this capability as part of overall Chinese military strategy.

– War is Boring – Taiwanese spies caught helping Beijing build E-2 clone.

– Asia Unbound – Out of the limelight, Gulf of Aden cooperation has provided both China and the United States with a vital conduit for progressive military contact amid protracted mistrust in the Asia Pacific. Indeed, their navies recently conducted a joint anti-piracy exercise there. In the future, Far Seas non-traditional security cooperation is set to play an even larger role in buttressing Sino-American military relations.

– The Diplomat – An update on the Chinese antiship ballistic missile program.

– US and China Economic Security Review Commission – In the late 1980s, China began a modernization program to transform the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy from a coastal force into a technologically-advanced regional navy. China’s acquisition of platforms, weapons, and systems has emphasized qualitative improvements, not quantitative growth, and centered on improving its ability to strike opposing ships at sea and operate at greater distances from the Chinese mainland. The PLA Navy has made significant progress, particularly since the late 1990s. Today, it is able to conduct high intensity operations in China’s immediate periphery and carry out low intensity operations around the world. Trends in China’s defense spending, research and development, and shipbuilding suggest the PLA Navy will continue to modernize through at least 2020. China’s increasingly advanced and adaptive naval capabilities – many of which appear to be designed to restrict U.S. freedom of action throughout the Western Pacific – could undermine U.S. interests and security in the region.

– Congressional Research Service – The Congressional Research Service’s most recent analysis of the Chinese Navy.