Red Star over the Pacific, Second Edition: China's Rise and the Challenge to U.S. Maritime Strategy

It is difficult to find a comprehensive and/or in-depth discussion of current adversary navies, especially China's navy, when those adversaries are not democracies. While any country understandably protects details of its national security apparatus, China is a more extreme example due to their tight control of all press and even civilian groups that even remotely touch anything government. Scholarly articles to opinion pieces are often full of patriotic text with little fact.This book is the best example yet of a current discussion on China's navy. It begins with a short history of the country including how Taiwan came to be. It progresses through how the Chinese navy evolved over the decades and culminates with the rapid modernization seen over the last 20 years. Standard fare for any book of this genre.The book then dives into a detailed study of both the civilian maritime and military uses of the Chinese coastline. This discussion is full of facts, trends, and statistics which drive home the truly world-wide importance of China’s ports. This section validates the theme presented throughout the book that China is a seafaring nation, mainly a seafaring nation, which may not seem obvious when you look at China on a map.As you would expect, the book eventually turns to Taiwan. Thankfully most of the discussion is geography based – how Taiwan and the rest of the four island chains direct and influence China’s strategy in the Pacific and by extension the world. This geography-based evaluation, if nothing else in the book, helps the reader understand the importance of current events in the South China Sea.The reason I gave the book 4 instead of 5 stars is because it is after this section that I felt the book became less informative and more…well, preachy. There were several chapters that I quickly glossed over due to lack of content and simply repeating the same thoughts over and over. The overall gist the author portrays is that Taiwan should be defended at all costs because China should not be allowed to break out of the island chains into the Pacific. I don’t mean to say there is one accepted answer to that debate, but while I think most agree the US should be prepared to match and overcome Chinese aggression there was little rationale in the book for *why* China should remain bottled up in the first island chain. Additionally, one editing quark I found throughout this portion of the book was the random use of exceedingly high-brow words. Sentences written at a high school level interrupted by a PhD level literary term is distracting.After this portion of the book the authors return to a decent summary that left this reader with a positive overall experience. And honesty, the first half of the book alone is worth the price. Just a word of caution – if you want a detailed study of Chinese ships and tactics then this book is not for you due to that secrecy I mentioned at the beginning of the review. But this book is a very good current understanding of China’s national driver for sea power, her naval expansion and regional strategy, the South China Sea, and Taiwan.

Yoshihara and Holmes succinctly address the why, how, and what behind China's rise in maritime power. The "Chinese Dream" to reverse the "century of humiliation" is a major driving force behind China's quest for power. The economic and strategic geography of the near-seas, the island chains, and the Pacific define China's need for sea power. Chinese military history and naval leaders' astute reflection on great naval theorists (Mahan) have driven how China builds its fleets. The result? A flexible, joint force composed of militarized fishing vessels, ships, land-based missiles, submarines, and aircraft capable of overwhelming U.S. Navy combat systems. The most likely course of action? Deter U.S. interference in China's influence on smaller Asian countries. Seize Taiwan to breach the first island chain and shift the balance of power. Slowly roll-back U.S. forward-based forces through undermining our alliances and isolating forward bases. End state? Chinese control of the Pacific and economic and political dominance of the Asian continent.

This is as good a discussion of current Chinese naval strategy and capacity as you will get. In contrast to the wild-eyed, arms-waving hysteria over Chinese naval developments, this book offers a balanced and nuanced analysis of Chinese naval power. Both Yoshihara and Holmes recognized that China has an insecurity complex from its long history of humiliation, and that the growth of Chinese naval power reflects that insecurity. They also document the importance of naval power for any nation that aspires to global trade, as China does. But the authors also point out that the Chinese naval developments have outpaced American naval power, at least in terms of numbers. They also recognize that naval power is also built on experience, which the American navy rests on, while China has very little experience with the complexities of operating a navy effectively. The book is well written and documented. This is a must-read for anyone wanting to know about China's naval rise.

A must read for those who understand the relevance of naval power in geopolitics. This is a well researched work outlining the present US / Chinese naval position through a political lens.There is enough technical detail and performance comparisons to interest naval enthusiasts as well as political buffs. Although the work is written from a partisan standpoint it is actually a refreshingly objective read. The authors have presented a stark challenge to the US Navy and Administration of either focusing on and investing in their Navy or accepting a decline in status.They have presented their case clearly and powerfully.

this book is pivotal to an understanding of doctrinal reconfiguration of the Navy and Marine Corps. it is required reading at both NWC and CGSS. as a barbed aside, I doubt it was on the reading lists of our current CIC or his SecNav appointee. enjoy, learn...

Excellent book on China’s rising power and how America (and allies) should respond. Highly recommend to students, policy makers, and citizens concerned about the changing geopolitical dynamics in the Pacific.

This is the most insightful book relating to nature of the Chinese-American naval competition in the Western Pacific. It well help paint a picture of what was, what is, and what may be as it pertains to the competition.

Critical reading for all concerned citizens in the US. Congress has got to face the truth and stop being heavily influenced by the military industrial complex.