The Chinese Air Force: Evolving Concepts, Roles, and Capabilities (2012)

The Chinese Air Force: Evolving Concepts, Roles, and Capabilities

ISBN: 9780160915697

This publication would be useful to the military's analysis community, civilian leaders, military commanders and staff officers at all levels, policymakers, members of government and defense agencies/contractors, and members of military-focused committees and U.S.-China relations committees. This publication would also be useful to historians and students engaged with historical/political/military studies (especially concerning China and the U.S.).

Produced by the Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs (CSCMA)

The Center for the Study of Chinese Military Affairs (China Center) was
established as an integral part of the National Defense University’s
Institute for National Strategic Studies on March 1, 2000, pursuant to
Section 914 of the 2000 National Defense Authorization Act. The China
Center’s mission is to serve as a national focal point and resource center
for multidisciplinary research and analytic exchanges on the national goals
and strategic posture of the People’s Republic of China and to focus on
China’s ability to develop, field, and deploy an effective military instrument
in support of its national strategic objectives.

In late October 2010, a distinguished international group of experts on airpower, military affairs, and the PRC-Taiwan relationship gathered at a conference in Taipei to examine the present state and future prospects of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in China. The conference was co-sponsored by the Chinese Council of Advanced Policy Studies (CAPS), the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP), the U.S. National Defense University (NDU), and the RAND Corporation.

This publication is a compilation of the edited papers presented there on Chinese airpower, the PLAAF, and the implications for Taiwan, together with comments and additions by distinguished attendees culled by the editors: Richard P. Hallion, Roger Cliff, and Phillip C. Saunders.

The four-part structure of this book reflects the four broad themes covered at the conference:

concepts;
PLAAF organization, leadership, and doctrine;
PLAAF equipment, personnel, education, and training;
and industry and military implications.
Taken as a whole, the chapters of this volume provide a comprehensive picture of China’s progress in building a modern air force.

Table of Contents:

Foreword. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  xi
David A. Deptula

Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  xvii
Richard P. Hallion

I: Concepts

Chapter 1
The Concept of Airpower: Its Emergence, Evolution, and Future. . . . . . . . . .1
Forrest E. Morgan

Chapter 2
China’s Quest for Joint Aerospace Power: Concepts and Future Aspirations. . . . . 33
Mark A. Stokes

Chapter 3
The PLAAF’s Evolving Influence within the PLA and upon National Policy. . . . . . .71
Xiaoming Zhang

II: Organization , Leadership, and Doctrine

Chapter 4
The Organizational Structure of the PLAAF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Kenneth W. Allen

Chapter 5
The Missions of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. . . . 133
Murray Scot Tanner

Chapter 6
The Development of the PLAAF’s Doctrine. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
Roger Cliff

Chapter 7
The PLAAF and the Integration of Air and Space Power. . . . 165
Kevin Pollpeter

III: Equipment, Personnel, and Education / Training

Chapter 8
Equipping the PLAAF: The Long March to Modernity. . . . . 191
David Shlapak

Chapter 9
Meeting the Challenge of the Upcoming PLAAF Leadership Reshuffle. . . . . 213
You Ji

Chapter 10
Education and Training in the PLAAF. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235
Kevin Lanzit

IV: Industries and Military Implications

Chapter 11
China’s Aviation Industry: Past, Present, and Future . . . . . . . 257
Shen Pin-Luen

Chapter 12
China’s Quest for Advanced Aviation Technologies. . . . . . . . 271
Phillip C. Saunders and Joshua K. Wiseman

Chapter 13
The Employment of Airpower in the Taiwan Strait. . . . . . . . . 325
Hsi-hua Cheng

Chapter 14
The U.S.-China Military Balance Seen in a Three-Game Framework . . . . . . . . . 347
David Frelinger and Jessica Hart

About the Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377