| Summary: | "Over the last decade, the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has increased the frequency, duration, complexity, and distance from the mainland of its operations. Not only does China maintain a permanent counterpiracy escort flotilla in the Indian Ocean, it also now routinely conducts naval exercises and operations beyond the first island chain throughout the year. This normalization of PLAN operations in the Western Pacific and beyond is an important step toward an emerging new maritime strategy that will incorporate far seas defense . This monograph begins by examining the geography, history, and strategic focus of near seas active defense, China's current maritime strategy. It illustrates how the New Historic Missions expanded PLAN mission requirements from traditional near seas operating areas to operations in the far seas. The paper provides a strategic framework for a new maritime defense strategy that would incorporate far seas capabilities. It then examines the evolution of PLAN operations and exercises since 2004. The monograph concludes by identifying several factors that, if observed, would indicate PLAN incorporation of far seas defense as part of an emerging new maritime strategy"--Executive summary Format not distributed to depository libraries "This paper was originally presented at the Chinese Council for Advanced Policy Studies-RAND Corporation-National Defense University 26th Annual Conference on the People's Liberation Army on November 21-22, 2014, at the RAND Corporation office in Arlington, Virginia"--Inside cover "Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs, Institute for National Strategic Studies, National Defense University"--Cover "April 2015"--Title page Includes bibliographical references (pages 40-45) Executive summary -- Introduction -- Near seas defense strategy -- New Historic Missions -- Strategic framework for a new maritime defense strategy -- Enhancing fundamentals : 2004-2006 -- Initial steps into the Western Pacific : 2007-2009 -- Normalization of Western ...
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