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Chinese Missiles and the Walmart Factor
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Proceedings Magazine - July 2011 Vol. 137/7/1,301 [5]
By Lieutenant Commander Matthew Harper, U.S. Navy
Scenarios of a military conflict with a rising China are pointless if they leave out a glaring detail—the global
economy.
Multiple news outlets recently carried stories about a Chinese antiship ballistic missile (ASBM) that could target
U.S. aircraft carriers at sea. 1 It was just the latest in a long-running stream of news coverage and concerned
dialogue over China’s expanding military capabilities and influence. As China’s growing strength gains greater
global attention, more and more time, energy, and money will be spent asking how the United States will counter
an increasingly capable Chinese military. For some within defense circles, this is a routine question and a
question the U.S. Navy (particularly Pacific Command) is expected to answer.
But fear of China’s perceived martial intentions is both overblown and unproductive for the United States and its
military. Focusing solely on Chinese military capabilities clouds the critical challenge of preventing a catastrophic
Sino-American conflict. Furthermore, this distraction obscures the real work of guiding China’s rise as an open,
self-confident, fully integrated member of the world community.
Anti-Access Angst
In the Winter 2010 issue of the Foreign Policy Research Institute’s journal Orbis , Commander James Kraska
forecasts a growing and aggressive China and provocatively describes a hypothetical encounter: The year is
2015, and a Chinese Dong Feng-21D (DF-21D) ASBM sinks the USS George Washington (CVN-73). The
United States is caught by surprise and, because of the military’s decline and the distraction of various other
priorities, the nation is unable to muster an effective response for weeks. By this time, the world community has
interceded, rendering America unable to take unilateral action. 2
The weapon at the heart of Kraska’s cautionary tale, the DF-21D (also known as the CSS-5), is a medium-range
ballistic missile theoretically able to target U.S. carriers at sea. It is currently a cause of significant concern in
U.S. military circles. The common belief is that the ability to draw a bead on the centerpiece of American power
Chinese Missiles and the Walmart Factor http://www.usni.org/print/8219
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projection will prevent any effective U.S. response in a conflict over Taiwan. The DF-21D, along with China’s
increasing numbers of modern quiet submarines, long-range air-defense surface ships, and fourth-generation
fighter aircraft, is at the forefront of the U.S. Navy’s, and to a lesser extent the U.S. Air Force’s, consciousness.
Andrew Erickson and David Yang articulated the worries in the Naval War College Review , claiming “even the
mere perception that China might have realized an ASBM capability could represent a paradigm shift, with
profound consequences for deterrence, military operations, arms control and the balance of power in the
Western Pacific.” 3
Whether the concern is over the status of Taiwan or Chinese territorial ambitions in the South China Sea, U.S.
strategic thinkers, academics, and military planners are increasingly apprehensive over China’s growing ability
to prevent U.S. naval freedom of movement in the region—often referred to as China’s “anti-access capability.”
Through a Spyglass, Distortedly
In a strategic sense, “How should the United States counter Chinese anti-access capabilities?” is the wrong, or
at least incomplete, question. Looking at relations with China through a naval-warfare lens alone clouds our
strategic thinking, which prevents analyzing the issue effectively.
In the 21st century, qualifying naval tonnage or tallying up missile ranges and submarine numbers does not
adequately inform our overarching view of the situation. In a world where a Taiwanese company in mainland
China makes half of the consumer and business electronics in the world, it is insufficient to scrutinize military
actions alone. 4 To further our strategic understanding, a Sino-American confrontation scenario must scrutinize
military timelines, and more important, implications for the U.S. and world economies.
We live in Thomas Friedman’s “flat world,” one of increasing interconnectedness. But do we really understand
what this implies?
In the current literature surrounding the Chinese military threat, there is little to indicate our methods of strategic
thinking have changed. Kraska’s piece clearly highlights the shortcomings of our current mindset regarding
Chinese military capabilities. He describes the buildup to the sinking of the George Washington in one sentence:
“The incident—could it really be called a ‘war’?—had been preceded by a shallow diplomatic crisis between the
two great powers.” 5 While Kraska warns of a Chinese rise and U.S. decline, he fails to fully examine factors that
led to his scenario and therefore continues to hamper our analysis.
Erickson and Yang ask whether Chinese leaders have considered the dangers of a lopsided focus on technical
capabilities, “without a proper understanding of the potential strategic risks involved.” 6 While they ask if the
Chinese leadership understands the strategic risks, they fail to ask if the United States has considered the
strategic and, more important, the economic risks resulting from any conflict with China.
In Red Star Over the Pacific (Naval Institute Press, 2010), Naval War College professors Toshi Yoshihara and
James Holmes examine the rise of the Chinese military. However, they also appear to dismiss the wider
ramifications of a Sino-American conflict. In describing the Chinese advantages of firing antiship missiles deep
from inland China, the authors write, “the United States would risk a limited naval conflict escalating into a
full-blown war against China, its leading trading partner.” 7 While they note that China is America’s largest
trading partner, they still imply a limited naval conflict over Taiwan is possible.
Globalization touches every facet of our modern world and would play a central role in the event of U.S.-China
hostilities. It is not enough to posit “a shallow diplomatic crisis” or to believe there could exist a limited naval
conflict around Taiwan. Highlighted by the preceding examples, present-day literature examining possible U.S.
conflict with China over Taiwan entirely dismisses the notion of an integrated world, and the larger economic
risks and consequences of those actions. Whether we are analyzing this issue from a strategic, great-power, or
military perspective, understanding of globalization and the interconnected nature of the United States and
China is critical.
Economic Links to China and Taiwan
U.S. concern over China’s anti-access capabilities primarily center on a China-Taiwan scenario. A number of
military options are open to China in responding to a Taiwan crisis. The Department of Defense report, Military
and Security Developments Involving the People’s Republic of China 2010 , examined four conventional military
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methods China could use to force Taiwan’s acquiescence: blockade, limited force or coercive option, air and
missile campaign, or invasion. However, all of these options require, at minimum, some preparation if for no
other reason than to fuel ships, assemble soldiers, and prepare rockets. There is no feasible way to
immediately attack or invade Taiwan overnight.
If there can be no instantaneous coercion of Taiwan, then there must be an understanding of the buildup to
a China-Taiwan conflict and a wider Sino-American war. If we appreciate the interconnected nature of the
world and recognize how a conflict might occur, we will better comprehend how our strategic questions must
change.
Most people know that we rely on China for much of what we consume, yet perhaps few fully understand
the immensity of that reliance. Writing in The Atlantic , James Fallows gives a partial run-down of what
China produces:
computers, including desktops, laptops, and servers; telecom equipment, from routers to mobile
phones; audio equipment, including anything MP3-related, home stereo systems, most portable
devices, and headsets; video equipment of all sorts, from cameras and camcorders to replay
devices; personal-care items and high-end specialty-catalog goods; medical devices; sporting
goods and exercise equipment; any kind of electronic goods or accessories; and, for that matter,
just about anything else you can think of. 8
U.S. angst over the outsourcing of jobs overseas rests primarily with the label “Made in China.” Tainted dog
food, lead-based paints on children’s toys, and the recent suicides at high-tech assembly plants all keep
Chinese production in our consumer consciousness. As the steady march of global integration continues,
the U.S. public is continually surprised by what else it learns. Only after a number of suicides in Shenzhen
did many become aware that a Taiwan-based electronics manufacturer named Foxconn employs more than
920,000 people in China and produces electronics for IBM, Cisco, Microsoft, Nokia, Sony, Hewlett-Packard,
and Apple. 9
While Foxconn is the Taiwanese and Chinese face of globalization, Apple Computer, which is inexorably
linked to both China and Taiwan, is an international face of the United States. The backs of iPads, iPhones,
and iPods are all stamped “Designed by Apple in California, Assembled in China.” For Apple, currently the
second largest company in the world by market capitalization, most of its parts and final production travels
through the Western Pacific. An iPod’s hard drive is built in both China and the Philippines, its display
module is built in Taiwan, and all of its components are shipped to China for final assembly. A Foxconn plant
in Longhua, China, produces 137,000 iPhones a day, or about 90 a minute. And if the iPod and iPhone are
not enough to illustrate the importance of China, the Apple iPad begins its shipping route in Shenzhen,
China, and then goes to a Federal Express shipping facility in Hong Kong. 10
These examples, which do not even account for the $900 billion that China holds in U.S. government debt,
along with countless other globalization facts, dictate that easy separation between military analyses and
wider economic and political factors is insufficient in advancing our strategic thinking. To accurately examine
a possible military conflict over Taiwan, a full understanding of the buildup to a conflict is required. Here is
one way a Taiwan Strait Crisis might unfold.
Sino-American War = Plummeting Economy?
A blockade or invasion of Taiwan likely would arise from a regional diplomatic or military incident, or a return
to the policies of former Taiwanese President Chen Shui Bian. While a declaration of independence by
Taiwan is widely seen as the catalyst for a Sino-American conflict, an unforeseen episode between China
and Taiwan is perhaps just as likely to escalate into an international incident. As evident in the November
2010 diplomatic confrontation between China and Japan after a Chinese fishing vessel rammed into a
Japanese coast guard ship, relatively minor episodes in this region can quickly escalate into international
crises.
In the event of such escalation, domestic tensions in both China and Taiwan would fuel diplomatic rhetoric,
preventing either government from backing down. As Susan Shirk, a former deputy assistant secretary of
State, has written, “it is universally believed in China that the Chinese Communist Party would fall if it
allowed Taiwan to become independent without putting up a fight.” 11
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Therefore, the Chinese would have to make an overt statement and convey their resolve to prevent a
unilateral declaration of independence emanating from Taiwan. One way to show such resolve would
be to announce increased readiness of Chinese rocket forces, and preparations to put People’s
Liberation Army Navy surface ships and submarines to sea. This would demonstrate the seriousness of
the military threat to Taiwan and make a clear statement to a domestic audience that only China will
decide the fate of Taiwan. The United States would respond in kind militarily, if for no other reason than
to ensure an adequate deterrence posture.
International economic markets would watch these events closely, and any announcement of military
activities would set off a downward spiral in the international stock markets. Both Apple and Walmart,
which receive most, if not all of their production from China, would see their stock prices plummet.
Although a majority of Americans do not watch the stock market regularly, approximately 50 percent of
the U.S. population owns stocks either outright or through mutual funds and 401Ks. Companies such
as Apple, Walmart, and hundreds of others are heavily invested in China, Taiwan, and the rest of the
Western Pacific. The resulting dive in the stock market would make Americans acutely aware of just
how connected their financial well-being is linked to China and Taiwan.
As tensions mount, it is not hard to imagine a lone commander making a rash decision that escalates
the situation. In response to such an act, or out of a need to please a domestic audience, either China
or Taiwan might pursue a military option. If events continue to spiral, Chinese leadership would feel
they have no choice but to take steps to ensure Taiwan remained part of One China, thus ensuring the
Communist Party remained in power. In this scenario, China would declare a maritime- and
air-inspection zone (or to the rest of the world, a blockade) around Taiwan.
The U.S. government would not be immune to the nationalist pressures confronting the Chinese
Communist Party. Right-wing bloggers and political pressure groups would wave the Taiwan Relations
Act (regardless of what it says) and use this opportunity to confront China and protect U.S. hegemony.
The American political establishment would not allow China to forcibly coerce a multiparty democracy
to bend to its will, and in the worst-case scenario, U.S. political pressures and the need to reassure
allies would force a retaliatory trade embargo. Both Chinese and U.S actions would significantly impact
seagoing and airborne trade in the vicinity of China, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and the Strait of
Malacca. Even without a formal blockade, the civilian response to this scenario would be the same.
Once a threat of a military strike against Taiwan became a possibility, or if Chinese submarines were to
put to sea in large numbers to enforce a blockade, commercial shipping in the area would drop off
dramatically of its own accord.
Instant Fallout
The impact to the world economy would be instantaneous. Apple, along with other technology firms that
rely on China, would face disaster. Foxconn could not be expected to continue production, even if it
were somehow able to get to its components during the crisis. As a Taiwanese company, Foxconn
would have no room to maneuver. Within days, if not hours, half of the world’s supply of consumer and
business electronics would dry up.
Walmart, even more broadly reflective of the wider U.S. economy, would fare little better. In the era of
“just-in-time logistics,” when shipping companies act as Walmart’s warehouse, it only would be a few
days before the United States would start seeing eerily empty shelves, not only at Walmart but at other
stores across the country. Companies in the Dow Jones Industrial Average that are dependent on sales
and growth in China—including Alcoa, Caterpillar, General Electric, McDonald’s, and Boeing, to name a
few—would see huge losses. The technology-heavy NASDAQ companies would lose even more of
their stock-market value.
This scenario is not meant to be a scare tactic, and it is not based on the fear of a militarily capable
China. It simply represents the reality in which we live. The vital economic links between the United
States and China mean that even the buildup to a military conflict would have dire effects. The United
States should be alarmed about “Chinese strategic writings, which often express considerable
confidence that China can manage strategic escalation in measured increments with a high degree of
certainty.” 12
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Conflict with China would not be an isolated or limited affair. In any type of Sino-American war
scenario there should be no expectation that political leaders could manage the economic fallout.
Both sides, and the entire world economy, would be devastated by the economic consequences,
and the ramifications would affect all facets of U.S. society.
Asking the Right Question
Concerns over China’s ostensibly peaceful rise still highlight how critical it is for the United States
to manage its relations with China. As China analyst Andrew Scobell states, “To China’s leaders
the potential for a conventional conflict with the U.S. is highly unlikely in the near future, with the
notable exception of Taiwan.” 13
So where does this leave the vital discussion about U.S.-Chinese relations? As China becomes
more of a potential military rival, U.S. strategic thinking needs to evolve beyond the age-old
question of “How do we counter?” Perhaps the real question is, “How do we prevent any type of
military conflict with China?” While this may appear a subtle distinction, it cannot be dismissed,
given 21st-century realities.
The United States cannot allow the DF-21D missile to dominate and deflect its strategic thinking
about China. A Taiwanese businessman and his company, Foxconn, have taken care of any
“carrier-killers.” What the United States truly needs to fear, and do everything in its power to
prevent, is a China that believes it has nothing to lose by opposing America in some type of
military engagement. In this case no amount of deterrence would prevent a catastrophic conflict.
The United States must make it clear that if China were to try to use coercive military means to
prevent Taiwan from declaring its de facto independence, there would be no strategic winner. Once
this is understood, then the question of how to prevent a military conflict with China takes on new
importance.
According to Susan Shirk, “preventing war with a rising China is one of the most difficult foreign
policy challenges our country faces.” 14 Ensuring the development of a mature, self-confident
China is the responsibility of the U.S. government through the State Department. Providing specific
recommendations for this delicate and long-term task is beyond the scope of this article, but as a
minimum, the U.S. military needs to ensure it does not stand as an impediment to this crucial task.
The United States will need to do everything it can to help manage China’s transition and ensure it
is done with minimal disruption to the world’s political and economic order. The world has changed
dramatically since the fall of the Soviet Union. Nations are intertwined as never before, and the
dynamics of the world economy and international society have changed the way we interact with
the world community. The United States needs to ensure its strategic thinking changes in
response.
1. “China’s Carrier Killers,” Newsweek , 4 October 2010; “China’s Anti-Ship Missiles Aren’t
Effective Yet, U.S. Navy Says,” Bloomberg News , 4 January 2011; “China’s Push to Modernize
Military is Bearing Fruit,” The New York Times , 6 January 2011.
2. James Kraska, “How the U.S. Lost the Naval War of 2015,” Orbis , vol. 54, no. 1 (Winter 2010),
pp. 35–45.
3. Andrew S. Erickson and David D.Yang, “Using the Land to Control the Sea? Chinese Analysts
Consider the Antiship Ballistic Missile,” Naval War College Review , vol. 62, no. 4 (Autumn 2009),
www.usnwc.edu/Publications/Naval-War-College-Review/2009---Autumn.aspx [6] .
4. Thomas Dinges, “Foxconn Rides Partnership with Apple to Take 50 Percent of EMS Market in
2011,” iSuppli, 27 July 2010, www.isuppli.com/Manufacturing-and-Pricing/News/Pages/Foxconn-
Rides-Partn... [7] .
5. Kraska, “How the U.S. Lost.”
6. Erickson and Yang, “Using the Land.”
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7. Toshi Yoshihara and James R. Holmes, Red Star Over the Pacific: China’s Rise and the
Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy (Annapolis: Naval Institute Press, 2010), p. 75.
8. James Fallows, “China Makes, the World Takes,” The Atlantic , July/August 2007,
www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2007/07/china-makes-the-world-takes... [8] .
9. “A Look Inside Foxconn, Where iPhones are Made,” Bloomberg Businessweek , 12
September 2010.
10. “The iPod has Global Value,” The New York Times , 28 June 2007; “The Man Who Makes
your iPhone,” Bloomberg Businessweek , 9 September 2010.
11. Susan L. Shirk, China, Fragile Superpower: How China’s Internal Politics Could Derail Its
Peaceful Rise (New York: Oxford University Press, 2007), p. 186.
12. Erickson and Yang, “Using the Land.”
13. Andrew Scobell, “Is There a Civil-Military Gap in China’s Peaceful Rise?” Parameters , vol.
39, no. 2 (Summer 2009), pp. 4–21.
14. Shirk, p. 268.
Lieutenant Commander Harper has served multiple tours on Aegis destroyers and was an
operational planner for the U.S. 7th Fleet based in Yokosuka, Japan. His most recent
assignment was as a special assistant to the Commander of U.S. Africa Command.
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than in... Read More [78]
The U.S. Navy
The telephone rang incessantly and I received several e-mail messages, all
asking the same basic... Read More [79]
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With the help of a U.S. military-aid package, this past year has been one of
profound change for... Read More [80]
TQL: "They Quit Leading","By Lieutenant Commander Frank T. Wallace,
U.S. Navy
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Streaks and Rockets in Space When Air Force Captain Charles "Chuck"
Yeager became the... Read More [82]
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On 5 October 2007, Belgium retired the Westdiep, its fourth and final
Wielingen-class frigate. The... Read More [83]
U.S. Navy
Is There a Mine Threat? If Chinese offensive mining is a concern, the U.S.
Navy isn't saying much... Read More [84]
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During December 2007, South Korea's largest warship, the amphibious
assault ship Dokdo, sailed off... Read More [85]
As the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to require large numbers of
U.S. and allied... Read More [86]
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The Navy's Frontline in Korea The U.S. Navy's first jet-propelled aircraft to
enter... Read More [87]
Sixteen Stars in Four Graves
The simple two-foot-tall white stone is not much different from the more than
138,000 others that... Read More [88]
U.S. Navy
Aegis Scores a 'Space Kill' Department of Defense and U.S. Navy officials
were cheering after a... Read More [89]
Combat Fleets
Sohn Won-Il, the first of South Korea's new German-designed,
air-independent propulsion capable,... Read More [90]
Historic Aircraft
A Transatlantic Flying Boat World War I saw the debut of submarines and
aircraft in modern... Read More [91]
Combat Fleets
In March 2008, the U.S. Department of Defense released its annual Report
to Congress on the... Read More [92]
Combat Fleets
The British Royal Navy's Trafalgar-class nuclear-powered attack submarine
HMS Torbay returned to... Read More [93]
Historic Aircraft
Flying Whales Part 1: Over the Sea Edward "Ed" Heinemann must be
recognized as... Read More [94]
Answering the Call
"I'm Glad I Had a Chance to Serve" U.S. Congressman, Pennsylvania
Governor, First... Read More [95]
Combat Fleets
The Turkish government took a major step forward in its plans to upgrade
the navy's frigate fleet... Read More [96]
Combat Fleets
(click here to view the print version) This past June Germany transferred
the retired 100-... Read More [97]
Combat Fleets
(click here to view the print version) On 15 July, ThysssenKrupp Marine
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Systems' Howaldtswerke-... Read More [98]
An Affordable Global Presence
(click here to view the print version) We need a more cost-effective
Fleet. Our nation's maritime... Read More [99]
COMBAT FLEETS
Georgia's navy and coast guard suffered heavy damage during
Russia's August invasion of its... Read More [100]
Combat Fleets
In late September, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George
Washington (CVN-73)—... Read More [101]
Historic Aircraft
The Last of the Floatplanes While it's dangerous to cite an aircraft as
being the "first... Read More [102]
Feral Cities-Pirate Havens
Throughout history, support systems in place on land have been
lifelines for pirates. For modern... Read More [103]
Combat Fleets
On 22 September, the German Navy commissioned its second
Braunschweig (Type 130)-class... Read More [104]
Combat Fleets
On 29 October the Royal Dutch Submarine HNLMS Walrus was
photographed pier side at Naval Station... Read More [105]
Combat Fleets
The Sejong-Daewang, the first of South Korea's new KDX-III-class
destroyers was commissioned... Read More [106]
Historic Aircraft
The First Jet Fighter. . . . Sorta Three new fighter aircraft entered Navy
squadrons as the... Read More [107]
The past year has brought a host of new global challenges forcing
greater cooperation among... Read More [108]
Combat Fleets
In February 2009 the Republic of Malta ordered four new 21-meter
inshore patrol craft from... Read More [109]
Combat Fleets
China's first major international naval deployment in literally hundreds
of years has... Read More [110]
Historic Aircraft
A Successful Runner-Up The Glenn L. Martin Company's P4M
Mercator ranked behind the Lockheed P2V... Read More [111]
Combat Fleets
Vietnam recently agreed to purchase six Kilo-class submarines from
Russia, concluding... Read More [112]
Historic Aircraft
Big Brother is Flying If the C-47/R4D Skytrain—the military version of
the Douglas DC-3... Read More [113]
Combat Fleets
Australia's highly trained submarine force is facing serious problems
as a combination of... Read More [114]
U.S. Navy
Keep Building those Damn Ships Secretary of Defense Robert M.
Gates must be congratulated for his... Read More [115]
Combat Fleets
India's navy recently sent a four-ship task group on an extensive
four-month deployment... Read More [116]
Combat Fleets
In September, HMAS Sydney, one of Australia's newly modernized
Oliver Hazard Perry-class... Read More [117]
Combat Fleets
Denmark recently retired all three of that nation's Niels Juel-class
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missile corvettes. The... Read More [118]
Combat Fleets
The Russian military has begun to re-examine its naval force
structure following last year's... Read More [119]
Combat Fleets
The Malaysian Navy experienced a setback in October when one
of its largest ships, the Sri... Read More [120]
Historic Aircraft
The Flying Banshee By the late 1940s turbojet technology had
advanced to the point that the U.S.... Read More [121]
Combat Fleets
November 2009 was a month of mixed messages for the Russian
Navy. On 16 November President... Read More [122]
Combat Fleets
The British Navy escaped a recent budget review with only minor
cuts as the war in Afghanistan... Read More [123]
Historic Aircraft
Elmer Fudd's Flying Cousin Late in World War II, the U.S. Navy
began developing airborne early... Read More [124]
From counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia to ballistic-
missile defense off the... Read More [125]
Atalanta Rising
Don't look now, but the European Union is becoming a stronger
anti-piracy force than NATO... Read More [126]
Now Hear This
The Future of the U.S.-China Security Relationship The U.S.-China
security relationship is poised... Read More [127]
Combat Fleets
Two offshore patrol vessels for Trinidad and Tobago's Coast Guard
were formally named in November... Read More [128]
Reintegrating our Wounded Warriors
"A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is
good enough to be given a... Read More [129]
Combat Fleets
In February Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands christened and
launched the first of a new class of... Read More [130]
Combat Fleets
One of India's most capable new surface combatants was
commissioned into service on 29 April... Read More [131]
Combat Fleets
The New York City Fire Department took delivery of its newest
fireboat, the Three Forty... Read More [132]
Combat Fleets
On 20 June the Russian Slava-class guided-missile cruiser Varyag
arrived in San Francisco on a... Read More [133]
Museum Report
Lighthouse History and Traditions On the waterfront of Rockland,
Maine, an extensive collection... Read More [134]
Combat Fleets
The first of Portugal’s new air-independent propulsion-capable
submarines was handed over... Read More [135]
Combat Fleets
On 31 August the Oliver Hazard Perry–class frigate USS
McInerney (FFG-8) was decommissioned... Read More [136]
Combat Fleets
On 31 August the Oliver Hazard Perry–class frigate USS
McInerney (FFG-8) was decommissioned... Read More [137]
Hitting the Beach in the 21st Century
As adversaries and weapons grow more advanced, amphibious
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doctrine must evolve, and the Navy... Read More [138]
Combat Fleets
On 27 September the Norwegian submarine Utvaer sailed into
Norfolk, Virginia, marking what is said... Read More [139]
Combat Fleets
Once the world’s mightiest fleet, Britain’s Royal Navy is reeling
from recent defense... Read More [140]
Combat Fleets
In October 2010 the Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate
HMAS Perth completed a big step... Read More [141]
Combat Fleets
Greece has finally accepted delivery of the German-built
submarine Papanikolis, its first Type... Read More [142]
Military budgets continue to tighten in many regions of the
world, especially among NATO members... Read More [143]
Aegis and the Third World
Second Honorable Mention Warfighting Essay Contest As the
defense budget dwindles in an era of... Read More [144]
Combat Fleets
The Indian Navy’s Leander-class frigate Vindhyagiri, pictured
here, suffered a collision... Read More [145]
Bureaucracy: The Enemy Within
Second Prize Winner in the 2005 Vincent Astor Memorial
Leadership Essay Contest Today's... Read More [146]
Combat Fleets
The first of Australia’s new Spanish-designed 27,000-ton
amphibious-assault ships, to be... Read More [147]
Combat Fleets
In April, Latvia commissioned the Skrunda, the first of five
small-waterplane-area/twin-hull (... Read More [148]
Visit of Russian Squadrons in 1863
One late September day in 1863 the Russian frigate Osliabia
under the command of Captain Bourtakoff... Read More [149]
Chinese Missiles and the Walmart Factor
Scenarios of a military conflict with a rising China are pointless
if they leave out a glaring... Read More [150]
Combat Fleets
In May, Senegal received a 14-year-old utility landing craft
(LCU) transferred from France. The... Read More [151]
The U.S. Navy: Keeping the Nation's Secrets
The selling of secrets to the Soviet Union that plagued the
United States during the Cold War... Read More [152]
World Naval Developments: China Buys Russian Destroyers
Under an agreement concluded in December, China will buy a
pair of Russian Sovremennyy-class... Read More [153]
Lest We Forget
The U.S. Navy destroyer Rinehart (DE-196), built by the
Federal Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company... Read More
[154]
The Navy That Almost Was
The Chinese Navy's modernized 19th-century fleet was
destroyed during the first Sino-Japanese... Read More [155]
World Naval Developments: Japan Rejects Missile Defense
Friedman considers the complex reasons why Japan declined
to join in a US-theater ballistic... Read More [156]
Why Aren't We Buying Core Values?
Vincent Astor Memorial Leadership Essay Contest, First
Honorable Mention The U.S. military... Read More [157]
World Naval Developments: What Aircraft Really Cost
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In April, the Air Force unveiled its new F-22 Raptor fighter,
expected to have a unit flyaway... Read More [158]
Lest We Forget
The Abraham Lincoln (SSBN-602) was the only one of
the five George Washington (SSBN-598)-class... Read
More [159]
The U.S. Navy: Reshaping the Wings
The Navy's carrier air wings are being reshaped to meet
changing operational requirements... Read More [160]
World Naval Developments
The Quadrennial Defense Charade Once more the
mountain has labored, and once more a mouse has...
Read More [161]
QDR Misses the Point
In 1950, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson told
Congress, "We are tailoring our defenses to... Read More
[162]
Lest We Forget
The Welles (DD-628) was launched 7 September 1942
and commissioned 16 August 1943. The Welles, a...
Read More [163]
Combat Fleets
The Russian Baltic Fleet Sovremennnyy-class guided
missile destroyer Bespokoynyy ("Restless... Read More
[164]
Lest We Forget
Built by Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation of Quincy,
Massachusetts, the USS Detroit (CL-8) was... Read More
[165]
Lest We Forget
Named for Lieutenant Paul Riley, a naval aviator who died
during the Battle of Midway, the USS... Read More [166]
Don’t Rain on My B-2 The B-2 is in trouble again. In
August, a congressional study... Read More [167]
Lest We Forget
The minesweeper Revenge (AM-110, later MSF-110) was
the sixth II.S. naval vessel to bear that... Read More [168]
First Division: In Their Own Words
Many leaders in the military services claim that today's
youth cannot be led. Those leaders... Read More [169]
The U.S. Navy: Search the Oceans
A specialized nuclear-propelled submarine, developed in
great secrecy, has become one of the Navy... Read More
[170]
World Naval Developments: U.S. Army Goes for Big
Picture
At its annual show in October, the U.S. Army's vision of
the future was front and center. All... Read More [171]
Charting a Course Away from the Pension
Altering the DOD retirement system along the path of
least resistance lacks focus and direction.... Read More
[172]
Often the Only Option
The unique integrated attributes of naval forces can
provide the foundation for new security... Read More [173]
Combat Fleets
Outwardly identical to 14 Archer-class, P.2000-design
training patrol boats delivered to Britain... Read More [174]
Lest We Forget
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The cruiser USS New Orleans (CA-32) was built at
the New York Navy Yard and launched on 12 April...
Read More [175]
Lest We Forget
Built by the Portsmouth Navy Yard of New
Hampshire, the USS Sirago (SS-485), a Tench-
class... Read More [176]
Lest We Forget
The second U.S. Navy warship to bear the name
Guam was the second of the controversial large...
Read More [177]
Carrier Forces Remain Free to Act The recent
stand-off between the United States and Iraq... Read
More [178]
Lest We Forget
The ammunition ship Pyro (AE-1), named for the
Greek word meaning fire, was the first U.S. vessel...
Read More [179]
In a year without significant naval combat other than
that incident to the ongoing civil war in... Read More
[180]
Because We Can, We Should
Capstone Essay Contest The U.S. military has
served as the big stick in U.S. politics for the... Read
More [181]
Navy Blue Goes Green
With growing national emphasis on environmental
issues, the Navy is taking steps to seize the... Read
More [182]
The U.S. Navy: The Battleships Are Back!
Ardent battleship supporters have won another
round; the Navy has reinstated two battleships...
Read More [183]
Air Detachment or Air Department?
LAMPS IIIs offer their ships a lot of capability
—standoff sensors and weapons, for starters... Read
More [184]
Lest We Forget
The destroyer USS Morris (DD-417) was the seventh
Morris to serve with U.S. naval forces. Built... Read
More [185]
‘Leadership over Management’
Editor’s Note: Former Secretary of the Navy John
Lehman’s article (September 2011... Read More [186]
Combat Fleets
Singapore received the first of its two newly rebuilt
Västergötland-class (Type A-17)... Read More [187]
Lest We Forget
The second U.S. Navy ship named Herndon
(DD-638) was launched on 2 February and
commissioned on... Read More [188]
Quality of Life at Sea
The sacrifice of time away from home is unavoidable,
but the U.S. Navy could learn a lot from its... Read
More [189]
Historic Aircraft - First of the Many
The name Douglas has long been associated with
outstanding U.S. naval attack aircraft—... Read More
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[190]
Lest We Forget
Laid down under a Maritime Commission
contract on 1 July 1944, the attack transport
Allendale (... Read More [191]
Combat Fleets
On 30 September the U.S. Navy ofﬁcially
disestablished the 2nd Fleet at Norfolk, Virginia,
in an... Read More [192]
Lest We Forget
The USS Perch (SS-176) was a Porpoise
(SS-172)-class submarine commissioned on 19
November 1936.... Read More [193]
Combat Fleets
The ﬁrst new Turkish MILGEM-class corvette,
the TCG Heybeliada (pictured here), was
commissioned... Read More [194]
Lest We Forget
Named for Rear Admiral Edward Simpson, a
Civil War-era naval hero, the USS Simpson
(DD-221) was... Read More [195]
Combat Fleets
The Dutch Ministry of Defense plans to upgrade
its four De Zeven Provinciën–class... Read More
[196]
Nobody Asked Me, But. . . - ‘Choreographed’
Training Is Dancing with the Devil
Pier sentries are inspecting a vehicle. Just
before letting it proceed, a sailor asks the
driver... Read More [197]
Combat Fleets
The long-rumored transfer and lease of the
Russian Akula-class attack submarine Nerpa to
India... Read More [198]
Events and Conferences
None found for this author.
Source URL: http://www.usni.org/magazines
/proceedings/2011-07/chinese-missiles-
and-walmart-factor
16 of 16 8/13/15, 10:53 PM

Chinese Missiles and the Walmart Factor | U.S. Naval Institute

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