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11 Whitehead J. Dipl. & Int'l Rel. 115 (2010)
A Fortress Fleet for China

handle is hein.journals/whith11 and id is 276 raw text is: A Fortress Fleet for China by James R. Holmes China is attempting to merge old and new technology into what US Navy sea captain and noted sea-power theorist Alfred Thayer Mahan termed a fortress fleet, a navy that operates almost solely under cover of shore-based fire support. Reared during the nineteenth century, when naval technology remained rudimentary, Mahan railed against this operational concept for severely limiting the fleet's radius of action, cramping its freedom of maneuver, and stifling initiative among its commanders. His critique made eminent sense in an era when the effective range of gunfire extended less than ten miles offshore. A fleet tethered to the port would find itself confined to miniscule sea areas, unable to exercise sea power effectively. This is less and less true today. Mahan could scarcely have foreseen advances in military technology like anti-ship cruise and ballistic missiles. Such precision weaponry has magnified the reach, accuracy, and destructive potential of coastal defenses. Mobile anti-ship missile batteries stationed along the shorelines can now strike at targets scores, and potentially hundreds of miles, in the distance. Consequently, a coastal state like China can increasingly hope to deter even a superior fleet like the US Navy from attempting to force entry into Asian waters. Failing that, the Chinese Second Artillery Corps, the military's missile force, can hold US expeditionary and strike groups at risk, raising the operational and strategic costs of entry for Washington and giving US leaders pause in times of strife. In the best case from Beijing's standpoint, an American president might decline to incur these costs. If Washington stood aside during a Taiwan contingency or some other regional conflagration, China could win without fighting, attaining the acme of skill in Chinese statecrafti By hoisting a protective shield over maritime Asia, Beijing can control China's seaward periphery without risking a head-on confrontation with the US Navy. For example, Chinese naval leaders can delay constructing aircraft carriers comparable to the US Navy's nuclear-powered flattops provided they are confident US commanders will keep their distance from Asian shores. In other words, if there is little chance the two navies will meet in battle, the Chinese Navy can afford to James Holmes is an Associate Professor of strategy at the Naval War College and the co-author of Red Star over the Pacific: China's Rise and the Challenge to US Maritime Strategy. The author acknowledges his intellectual debt to Professor Toshi Yoshihara, his long-time co-author and friend. However, the views voiced here are his alone. 115 The Whitehead Journal of Dqolomagy and International Relations

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