The Chinese Navy

Few issues are as important to U.S. national security analysts as China's military modernization, a process that has benefited directly from the past two decades of dramatic economic expansion. This book addresses the Chinese navy-the People's Liberation Army Navy, or PLAN-the service that has most dramatically benefited from increased defense funding. This collection of essays surveys and analyzes the most important aspects of China's naval modernization. The book's 10 chapters represent papers delivered at a 2007 conference, but have been updated and, most importantly, framed by expertly written introductory and concluding chapters that bring the book firmly into the century's second decade. The editors respectfully dedicate this volume to the memory of Ellis Joffe, who attended and contributed to many of the Chinese Council on Advanced Policy Studies/RAND conferences, including the one that formed the basis for this book. His many contributions as a scholar, colleague, mentor, and friend are sorely missed.