PLAN choke points

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IDonT

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The PLAN's evolving strategy has been described in terms of two distinct phases. The strategy's first phase is for the PLAN to develop a "green water active defence strategy" capability. This "green water" generally is described as being encompassed within an arc swung from Vladivostok to the north, to the Strait of Malacca to the south, and out to the "first island chain" (Aleutians, Kuriles, Ryukyus, Taiwan, Philippines, and Greater Sunda islands) to the east. Analysts have assessed that the PLAN is likely to attain this green water capability early in the 21st century. Open-source writings also suggest that the PLAN intends to develop a capability to operate in the "second island chain" (Bonins, Guam, Marianas, and Palau islands) by the mid-21st century. In the future, the PLAN also may expand its operations to bases in Myanmar, Burma. These bases will provide the PLAN with direct access to the Strait of Malacca and the Bay of Bengal.


The major problem of attaining the 2nd island chain capability is that China's geography makes it hard for her to break out into blue waters. These choke points will really hamper China's blue water ambition.

They are:
1.) Straight of Malacca towards the Indian ocean. Indian held Andaman Islands guard the Indian Ocean entrance while Singapore guard the south china sea entrance.

2.) Luzon straight and East China Sea pass the Ryukyu islands are the only way out towards the Pacific. Okinawa and Guam bases guards the exit out.

Choke points were the same problems faced by the Soviet Union. Its Black Sea fleet is hemmed in by the Straight of Bhospurrous (sp), North Fleet by the Greenland, Iceland, UK gap, Baltic Fleet by Denmark and the North Sea, and the Pacific Fleet by Tsushima and the LA Perouse Straight which takes it very near Japan.
 
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I

IDonT

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I want to ressurect this topic...:)

The main question is, what type of procurement strategy and tactic should the PLAN use to over come this geographic advantage
 
crobato

crobato

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What open source writings? From a long retired admiral in the PLAN? Does these still reflect the PLAN's current emphasis or strategy? Despite the PLAN's modernization efforts, there isn't enough effort and procurement being placed to "design" a navy intended for power projection capabilities.
 
Gollevainen

Gollevainen

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well as the situation is close to the Soviet/russian historical proplem, as you mentioned, Propaply the solutions could be similar. You allready mentioned foreing bases and those were crucial to Soviet blue water deployment...as they practically are crucial to every super powers global reach. Most of the strategyes used are to be determ by the potential enemyes that chinese forces could face. But mostly its due the chinese foreing policy and bigger strategical choices that are the key to the proplem where as the normal naval tactics play little role. In effect there isent any off-the-shell solution in purely tactical level.

One major tactic that was dictated by similar situation of Russians was the strong ambhipious forces in Baltic combined by substansial amphibious forces of Poland and Germany. They were mostly mented to crush the relatively small danish opposition in Danish straits and rabidly secure them to free Soviet usage. Now, due the Taiwan proplem China has always maintained strong amphibious forces whit similar reach than warsav pact and PLAN is currently updating these. combined use of other strategic deployment troops to gain controll of these chocke points migth be the most visible tactick that China migth field to overcome this proplem. From others we can hardly tell, as its known fact that only way to determ Chinese naval tacktics are analyzing its troops and ships.
 
crobato

crobato

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The real PLAN choke point comes from those army generals who want more of the budget for the army and less for the navy, not to mention the air force wanting its share too. Grandoise plans aside, the real PLAN plans is to get a better budget next year and modernize within those means.
 
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FreeAsia2000

Junior Member
Following on from the idea of 'choke-points' . How about sea lanes as
a 'scarce resource'. Not just the idea that the PLAN might have problems
with choke points but what about the economies ?

While there are hundreds of chokepoints of regional and local economic importance, fewer than two dozen lie on the world’s international maritime trade routes (see figure 8–1), endowing them with global economic significance. Of these, nearly half are vulnerable to a form of stress or threat that could make them economically scarce resources. As such, they may become a source of conflict between nations.

Sea Lanes as Scarce Resources

The security of maritime trade hinges on the conception of sea lanes and chokepoints as scarce resources. Resource scarcities are typically characterized as absolute (the resource is nonrenewable) or relative; that is, “limited with respect to human wants and needs”14 (some scholars refer to these as Malthusian and Ricardian scarcities, respectively), but what all definitions have in common is that resource scarcity reflects the forces of supply and demand. In other words, scarcity of a resource implies that the quantity available and/or accessible falls short of effective demand. A resource is scarce when its supply is threatened: either the resource is nonrenewable or it is being used up too quickly to renew itself. Scarcity also exists when there is an increase in demand for the resource and, for whatever reason (typically because the supply of the good is fixed or diminishing and it has few, if any, substitutes), the market cannot set the price high enough to regulate the demand for the resource (the resource is price-inelastic).
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essentially not only the PLAN but also other world economies will need island nations as
bases for shipping. Thus I can see the wisdom behind Chinese attempts to use 'the pearls' as economic bases because the military use is secondary. commerce being the lifeblood etc
 
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DPRKUnderground

DPRKUnderground

Junior Member
China needs a foreign base. I've been hearing stuff about a base in Indonesia(But don't Indonesians hate Chinese people?) which would provide access to the Srait of Malacca. Myanmar/Burma could do the job if a base could be created there. That way the Indian Ocean is up for the PLAN.
 
I

IDonT

Senior Member
VIP Professional
FreeAsia2000 said:
essentially not only the PLAN but also other world economies will need island nations as
bases for shipping. Thus I can see the wisdom behind Chinese attempts to use 'the pearls' as economic bases because the military use is secondary. commerce being the lifeblood etc
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You know it was a Greek Admiral Themistocles that said: "He who commands the seas holds command of everything." While it is true that a conflict between US and China can deny the US the chinese market, the USN can deny China 90 percent of the world market.
 
MIGleader

MIGleader

Banned Idiot
IDonT said:
You know it was a Greek Admiral Themistocles that said: "He who commands the seas holds command of everything." While it is true that a conflict between US and China can deny the US the chinese market, the USN can deny China 90 percent of the world market.
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Wrong. the U.s navy is not allowed to blockade china or try to sieze/sink chinese merchant ships going to foreign nations, in war or peace. I dont know why americans always think they are above international law and can do anything they want too. If america tries to do this, it will find that it's own market is going to be denied chinese goods aswell. The world will condemn the u.s actions.
 
I

IDonT

Senior Member
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MIGleader said:
Wrong. the U.s navy is not allowed to blockade china or try to sieze/sink chinese merchant ships going to foreign nations, in war or peace. I dont know why americans always think they are above international law and can do anything they want too. If america tries to do this, it will find that it's own market is going to be denied chinese goods aswell. The world will condemn the u.s actions.
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Britain was not allowed by international treaty to blockade Germany in WWI but they still did.
US was not allowed to blockade Cuba by international treaty, but they still did.

International law is a piece of paper without force to back it. I doubt the other third world nations will bother, after all they China is killing them economically as the low cost provider especially in textiles.

A blockade is any effort to prevent supplies, troops, information or aid from reaching an opposing force. Blockades are the cornerstone to nearly all military campaigns and the tool of choice for economic warfare on an opposing nation.

Blockades can take any number of forms from a simple garrison of troops along a main roadway to utilizing dozens or hundreds of surface combatant ships in securing a harbor, denying its use to the enemy, and even in cutting off or jamming broadcast signals from radio or television. As a military operation, blockades have been known to be the deciding factor in winning or losing a war.
 
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