The PLA Cruise Missile Capability in the Implementation strategy of Anti-Access Strategy

• Main Authors: Shih-Jung Chou, 周世榮
• Other Authors: 曾復生
• Format: Others
• Language: zh-TW
• Published: 2011
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/04816415640350481342

碩士 === 淡江大學 === 國際事務與戰略研究所碩士在職專班 === 99 === Within the events such as the 823 Artillery Bombardment and the 1996 Taiwan Strait Missile Crisis, the United-States provided superior numbers of forces and fleets of aircraft carriers in assistance of Taiwan. Encountering such predicament, the mainland China was well acknowledged of its shortage of capabilities if confronted with U.S. troops. Therefore, China eagerly seeks and tries to develop a solution toward this dilemma. As a result, the concept of “Anti-access” represents to deter, delay, or intimate other countries to access any kind of civil conflicts by force or other means. Since the 70s, the overall national strength of mainland China has gradually improved contributed by its economy reform strategy. Starting from the 90s, mainland China was also deeply inspired by the “Renovations in Military Affairs” and the Gulf war. This leads to the emphasis in developing qualities of the military strategies, which started the “New military renovation embedded with Chinese characteristics”. With the necessity of prevailing a regional war with high technology factors involved, the improvements on intimidation strengths and its overall combat capabilities have been carried out. Therefore, mainland China has strengthened its abilities in “Long range detection with accurate attack” within all its military forces, which also included the second artillery corps, and turning its defense strategies from an introversive approach to a much aggressive extroversive approach. After two Gulf wars, the PLA has discovered that cruise missiles had series of advantages in simple designs, low-cost in manufacture, and strategic strengths in very low-altitude courses, navigating in different kinds of landscapes, strong penetration abilities and its quick mobilization of deployment in order to conduct a quick strike. Overall, cruise missiles not only have the actual capabilities to destroy and kill, but also have the strength of creating a strong psychological intimation effect. Therefore, the PLA was believed to be going through a rapid research and manufacture on cruise missiles in means of trying to counteract with the U.S’s and its allies’ deployment within the Pacific Rim. However, even though the technological levels in electronics and aviation of mainland China have been close to advanced countries such as the U.S., Japan, and other European countries, its strength and types in military weapons were still way behind the U.S., and won’t be able to catch up within a short-term of time. The mainland China continues to develop its cruise missile abilities to interfere the anti-access strategy, and its determination have brought concerns to its surrounding countries and the U.S.; However, throughout the research we had discovered that its cruise missile researches were based on copying and reverse engineering of existing missiles. Although its shapes were identical to the cutting-edge types produced by the U.S., Japan, and Russia countries, a great technology breakthrough is essential on multiple key factors, development on carrier platforms, and fine tuning the coordination technology. Despite all the difficulties, the Chinese persistency in learning and its unstoppable industrial development, we believed that in the near future, the mainland China’s cruise missiles will play a master role in the implementation of anti-access strategy and acupuncture warfare, becoming the spot light of concern between surrounding countries and the U.S.