China Pursuing Asymmetric Military Strategy and War Games, To Deter U.S.

November 5, 2013 • 11:33AM

Like Russia, China is also in the midst of preparations for war should it find itself confronted by an aggressive US-Japan-Australian, and perhaps other countries, alliance. China, rather than depending on a full frontal confrontation with hostile forces, is, instead, pursing an asymmetric strategy that targets what it perceives to be America's weak flanks, since it has no illusions that its conventional military forces can match those of the US. Loro Horta, a graduate of the senior officers course at the PLA National Defense University, as well as the US Naval Post Graduate School and the US National Defense University, describes that strategy, in an article that first appeared on Yale Global Online on Oct. 17 and then reproduced in the South China Morning Post, November 5th.

Horta cites China's DF-21A ballistic missile, the "carrier killer" anti-ship missile about which there is much debate in Western military circles, but he warns that to consider it in isolation is a mistake because it is, in fact, a component of a larger asymmetric war strategy that also includes both submarines, fast attack vessels, anti-satellite systems and large numbers of land-based missiles of both the cruise and ballistic types. "The question is not whether the US is capable of countering a particular system or not, but whether it's capable of appreciating the nature of an asymmetric strategy across all domains of the battle space," Horta writes.

Horta suggests that this strategy could have a positive effect, in that the US and China would be deterring each other. They have a great many interests in common, he notes, including their economic interdependence, which could reduce the chances for tension. "However, one should remember, in both world wars of the previous century, Germany was Britain's largest trade partner," he concludes.

Maneuvers "Closest to the Real Combat In The Future," Chinese Admiral Says

Chinese Rear Admiral Liao Shining did a report-back on the major Chinese naval maneuvers held over the last half month in the western Pacific, entitled "Maneuver 5," which involved three Chinese fleets: the North China Sea Fleet, the East China Sea Fleet, and the South China Sea Fleet. "This is the first high-sea confrontation training in the real sense for the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN)" Admiral Liao said. " Although this is a routine exercise, it bears important and far-reaching significance for the development and military training of the PLAN."

"First of all, the "Maneuver - 5" exercise was launched proceeding from the overall situation of maritime security and the mission that the PLAN takes charge of, with the troops' maneuvering routes, maritime areas and methods designed comprehensively, highlighting the unswerving will and determination of the PLAN to safeguard China's national sovereignty and maritime interests. This exercise is also a landmark for the PLAN military trainings' shift to high-sea ones under information-based conditions. The previous "Maneuver" series exercises were offshore trainings with evident features under mechanical conditions." Liao said.

"In the past, each fleet self-organized its high-sea trainings in accordance with the respective organizational structure. This time, we broke the old mode and organized the combat grouping and training in compliance with actual battles," Admiral Liao said. "The "back-to-back" means to simulate the uncertainties in wars. During the exercise, both the "Red Army" and the "Blue Army" had no idea of each other's position, navigation factors and operational intentions,"..."Due to the uncertainty in the process of confrontation, such organizing method with both participating parties unknown to each other and involved in "back-to-back" confrontation training is the drill form closest to the real combat in future."

The scenario of the "back-to-back" procedure are that the three major fleets were deployed independently of one another other into the western Pacific under a scenario in which war had just begun. The results were estimated as being very satisfactory, and it was indicated that this is the type of maneuevers that the PLA Navy will also practice in the future