Thursday, April 3, 2014

China's Long Term Military Strategy

China's Long Term Military Strategy

April 03, 2014 | Tom Olago
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The Chinese military at sea is about to become much more potent. China plans to equip its latest submarine fleet with long-range nuclear missiles later this year, and according to Admiral Samuel Locklear – head of U.S. Pacific Command – specific focus is on a new ballistic missile with an estimated range of 4,000 nautical miles, or 7,500 kilometers.

Referring to China’s production of the JIN-class nuclear powered ballistic missile sub and the new JL-2 missile on board, Locklear said, “This will give China its first credible sea-based nuclear deterrent, probably before the end of 2014," adding, “China’s advance in submarine capabilities is significant. They possess a large and increasingly capable submarine force.”

In its current arsenal, China has five nuclear attack submarines, four nuclear ballistic missile submarines, and 53 diesel attack submarines, according to Jess Karotkin of the Office of Naval Intelligence. Highlighting Beijing’s fairly fast annual pace of production, the Congressional Research Service asserts that China has manufactured 2.9 submarines per year between 1995 and 2012.

What is China’s ultimate objective? In the Pentagon's view, and also reiterated by Locklear, Beijing aims in part "to deny US access to the Western Pacific during a time of crisis or conflict and to provide the means by which China can bolster its broad maritime claims in the region," adding that its military operations are "expanding in size, complexity, duration and geographic location."

How does China intend to achieve its objectives? According to the U.S. Naval Institute website, an effort is underway to adopt a strategy that will capitalize on a “fully networked architecture capable of coordinating military operations throughout all warfare domains, including the electromagnetic environment”.

Through the exploit of information dominance within the larger electromagnetic environment, this type of non-kinetic warfare, known as INEW (Integrated Network Electronic Warfare), will be coordinated by China at its highest level of command.

An unclassified 566-page defense contractor report produced for the Pentagon’s think tank on future warfare - Office of Net Assessment - describes in detail an asymmetric “military technology” surrogate for conflicts which involve nuclear and conventional weapons.

The report warns against China’s “Three Warfares”, which include psychological, media and legal operations, pointing out that the U.S. government and military lack effective countering tools for these non-kinetic warfare methods, further noting that U.S. military academies are not preparing future military leadership for the use of unconventional warfare by the Chinese. The report urges efforts toward a greater understanding of the threat and the initiation of steps to counter it.

Cambridge University professor Stefan Halper directed the study, receiving contributions from seven other China specialists - including former Reagan Pentagon policymaker Michael Pillsbury.

“The Three Warfares is a dynamic three dimensional war-fighting process that constitutes war by other means,” said Halper. “It is China’s weapon of choice in the South China Sea.”

The Pentagon deems China’s high-tech weaponry such as anti-satellite missiles and cyber warfare tactics as intentionally implemented to prevent the U.S. military from entering or operating freely within the region, thereby curtailing U.S. power projection in Asia, needed to support allies such as Japan and South Korea, and limiting navigational freedom by attempting to set terms for U.S. access.

The psychological aspects of the “Three Warfares” as defined by the Pentagon would include efforts to influence or disrupt an enemy’s decision-making capabilities, to create doubts, foment anti-leadership sentiments, and deceive opponents.

China, for example, has threatened the U.S. with the sale of its large U.S. debt holdings, and Chinese state-controlled businesses have pressured U.S. businesses operating in China. “Soft warfare” has also included boycotts and restrictions on critical exports such as rare earth minerals, as well as threats to use predatory trade practices.

Goals of media or public opinion warfare consist of weakening an enemy’s will to fight and altering its awareness. The Chinese aim to use persistent activities that will influence perceptions and attitudes via film, TV programming, books, internet and global media networks, directed against domestic populations in target countries, the report stated.

China uses legal warfare to exploit laws to achieve its political and commercial objectives, including domestic, international and judicial laws and law enforcement - tools often used in combination.

The communist country has used “lawfare” to reinforce its territorial claims. For example, the South China Sea village of Sansha on the disputed Paracel Islands - which have been claimed by Vietnam, Philippines and other states - was designated by China as part of Hainan Prefecture in order to extend its control further into the South China Sea.

When the three types of unconventional warfare are addressed individually, they are “manageable” problems according to the report, but when addressed simultaneously they challenge traditional U.S. concepts of war.

Over the next decade China will likely employ unconventional warfare techniques, the report concluded, for disputes ranging from the Senkaku Islands in northeast Asia to the Paracels in the South China Sea.

In order to effectively counter Beijing’s “Three Warfares”, the Pentagon study urged the development of measures that include forceful legal actions that challenge China’s “lawfare” initiatives, high profile statements signifying U.S. security support for regional states, and wider support for regional political forums.

Also recommended in the report were continued military reconnaissance missions by U.S. ships and aircraft protected by force protection weapons that will deter harassment or attack, and the development of clear rules of engagement that would prevent another 2001 EP-3E incident.

An international dispute between the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China ensued in 2001 after a mid-air collision between a United States Navy EP-3E intelligence aircraft and a People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) J-8II interceptor fighter jet caused the death of a PRC pilot, forcing the EP-3 to make an emergency landing on Hainan.

The Pentagon study calls for increased naval exercises and more “freedom of navigation” exercises to be conducted within China’s exclusive economic zones regionally to counter Beijing’s claims in disputed waters.

To beef up “public diplomacy” campaigns in Asia, the report recommends using targeted investment and development in the region, and expanding military talks and exchanges.

According to a draft congressional China commission report, the recent exposure of a secret Shanghai-based Chinese military cyber warfare unit has not resulted in any reduction in cyber espionage against the U.S. government or private networks.

In fact, according to an upcoming report from the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, the Chinese military group simply masked its activities and temporarily limited its large-scale cyber espionage program.

This new report reveals that “The Chinese government is directing and executing a large-scale cyber espionage campaign against the United States, and to date has successfully targeted the networks of U.S. government and private organizations, including those of Department of Defense, defense contractors, and private firms.”

Theft of data from cyber-attacks pose a “significant threat” to U.S. businesses, the report said, because this sensitive stolen data is improving China’s insight into U.S. weapon systems and enabling China to develop countermeasures. Annual financial loss estimates due to cyber spying range from $120 billion to $300 billion.

According to the private security group Mandiant, since 2006, Unit 61398 of the 2nd Bureau of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Staff Department’s Third Department has attacked and penetrated networks of at least 141 organizations located in 15 countries, representing 20 major industries, from financial services to information technology. Cyber spying by Unit 61398 is “as active as it was before Mandiant’s report was released,” the security group noted.

Thus far, the Obama administration has responded to ongoing Chinese cyber-attacks with the intent of setting up a diplomatic Cyber Working Group in April between the two countries, however any effort by the U.S. to disgrace China into ceasing its malicious cyber spying have been greatly undermined by NSA contractor Edward Snowden’s disclosure of U.S. cyber spying on Chinese networks.

In an attempt to influence how the communist government is reported on, Chinese hacking targets U.S. news media outlets as well. The Mandiant report noted, “There is growing evidence the Chinese government is conducting a cyber-espionage campaign against U.S. media organizations. … China likely seeks to use information acquired through these intrusions to (1) shape U.S. press coverage of China by intimidating U.S. journalists and their sources in China, and (2) gain warning about negative media coverage of China before it is published.”

American news media giants assaulted by Chinese cyber-attacks have included the New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.

The China commission is urging the U.S. government to impose sanctions on China for cyber-attacks, stating in its report, “There is an urgent need for Washington to take action to prompt Beijing to change its approach to cyberspace and deter future Chinese cyber theft.”

Congress, along with the administration and security experts, are discussing a series of actions toward this end, which include legislation for retaliatory cyber-attacks by American companies against China, the blocking of any Chinese imports developed through cyber espionage, more information sharing on cyber threats, the banning of Chinese firms that utilize stolen U.S. data from accessing U.S. banks, the blocking of Chinese officials linked to cyber-attacks from traveling to the U.S., and the use of special computer codes to identify stolen data from U.S. networks, thereby aiding in prosecution or sanctions applications.

China has demonstrated both its intention to gain state-of-the-art military prowess and dominance, as well as its determination and persistence in achieving those goals. Will the U.S. and other world powers move strategically to curb this thrust for control, or be left to react defensively against a threatening regime gaining superiority - often at the expense of integrity - on the global military stage?

Read more at http://www.prophecynewswatch.com/2014/April03/035.html#zXH63cj8b5MAcYUf.99

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