The Chinese People's Liberation Army: "Short Arms and Slow Legs"
Abstract
This is the 28th volume in the Occasional Paper series of the U.S. Air Force Institute for National Security Studies (INSS). As INSS did earlier this year with its publication of two companion papers on NATO, it now offers two complementary studies that address Chinese security developments and U.S.-Chinese relations into the first part of the 21st century. This study, Russ Howard's "The Chinese People's Liberation Army: Short Arms and Slow Legs," examines the military side of the Chinese equation. Colonel Howard analyzes Chinese military capabilities and intentions through the lens of China's military spending and its military doctrine, with a particular focus on the constraints China faces in attempting to fulfill the intent implied through its doctrine. He concludes that at least in the short- to mid-term, the PLA will fall short of meeting its doctrinal promise, allowing it to become a stronger regional power, but preventing its emergence as a global military peer competitor to the United States. In the companion Occasional Paper 29, LTC (P) Neal Anderson's "Overcoming Uncertainty: U.S.-China Strategic Relations in the 21st Century," the focus shifts to the diplomatic and economic dimensions of the Chinese equation. Together the two studies offer valuable insights into a rising regional power with whom the United States must interact in shaping a secure and stable East Asia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 1999
- Accession Number
- ADA435082
Entities
People
- Russell D. Howard
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy