Product Description

One of the key concerns of naval strategists and planners today is the nature of the Chinese geostrategic challenge. Conceding that no one can know for certain China s intentions in terms of future conflict, the editors of this hot-topic book argue that the trajectory of Chinese nuclear propulsion for submarines may be one of the best single indicators of China s ambitions of global military power. Nuclear submarines, with their unparalleled survivability, remain ideal platforms for persistent operations in far-flung sea areas and offer an efficient means for China to project power.

This collection of essays presents the latest thinking of leading experts on the emergence of a modern nuclear submarine fleet in China. Each contribution is packed with authoritative data and cogent analysis. The book has been compiled by four professors and analysts at the U.S. Naval War College who are co-founders of the college s recently established China Maritime Studies Institute.

Given the opaque nature of China s undersea warfare development, readers will benefit from this penetrating investigation that considers the potential impact of even the most revolutionary changes in Chinese nuclear submarine capabilities. The editors believe that to ignore such possibilities would be the height of strategic folly and represent inexcusable negligence in terms of U.S. national defense.

Anyone who is interested in the future of the U.S. Navy and the defense of the United States will find this book to be essential reading.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #400387 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-20
• Released on: 2007-04-20
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 400 pages

Review
'Unknowns about China's Navy, especially its nuclear submarines, perplex our security planners. China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force presents the most accurate information and the most savvy analysis available. This thoughtful compendium is vital to any serious discussion of the PLA Navy.' -- Adm. Joseph W. Prueher, USN (Ret.), Former Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Pacific Command and Ambassador to China

Review
'China's undersea fleet has been sharply focused on coastal defense and sea denial, largely in connection with Taiwan contingencies. With this role now assigned to a fleet of increasingly formidable diesel submarines, China's growing nuclear submarine fleet may be about to move beyond symbolism and experimentation to take on strategic missions farther from Chinese shores. This exceptionally fine compendium of essays by scholars and practitioners of submarine warfare brings together in one place most of what we know and don t know about China's nuclear submarine programs and doctrines. By comparing and contrasting the experiences of the U.S. and Soviet navies, the authors offer informed speculation about the possible roles of both nuclear attack and ballistic missile submarines in the rapidly modernizing People's Liberation Army Navy, and discuss the implications of differing scenarios for U.S. strategy and force structure. The result is a benchmark study that will both fascinate and inform anyone concerned with the future uses of sea power and the evolution of maritime strategy.' -- Amb. Chas. W. Freeman Jr., Chairman, Projects International, Inc.,

Review
'Many of these factors have been examined by the US Naval War College in a collection of essays entitled China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force, which was published in 2007 by the Naval Institute Press. This compendium, which in fact delves far deeper into China's wider maritime strategy and its naval modernisation than the title suggests, offers the most comprehensive open-source analysis yet made public of the transformation of the PLAN and the central role that submarines are likely to play in the years ahead. While the Naval War College distances its research and opinions from any official line taken by the US government or the USN, China's Future Nuclear Submarine Force has already become the benchmark unclassified study on the development of the PLAN's sub-surface combat capability.' --Richard Scott, Jane's Navy International, 1 January 2008