Title
China's Naval Strategy and Nuclear Weapons: The Risks of Intentional and Inadvertent Nuclear Escalation
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-1-2005
Abstract
The naval strategy of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and Navy (PLAN) closely integrates China's conventional forces with nuclear weapons in a warfighting role, the combination of which is intended to threaten or cause massive U.S. casualties. In reality, however, Chinese air and naval capabilities are quite modest and the PLA may suffer heavy attrition in the early days of a Sino-U.S. conflict. China's conventional options will become scarce and nuclear weapons may be seen as the only way to win or save face. A highly unstable situation will result when China is faced with the choice between defeat or nuclear usage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Comparative Strategy is the property of Routledge and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Recommended Citation
Dodge, Paul. "China's Naval Strategy and Nuclear Weapons: The Risks of Intentional and Inadvertent Nuclear Escalation." Comparative Strategy 24, no. 5 (2005): 415-430.
DOI for the article
https://doi.org/10.1080/01495930500448947
