The PLA Navy’s Capability Profile

Abstract

The present chapter describes the level of development that has been reached by the PLA Navy as of 2014 with regard to the criteria outlined in earlier chapters. Rather than making a purely numerical force-size comparison with other navies, or merely listing the equipment currently in service (as is often done for the sake of convenience), I will use a set of qualitative criteria as a guideline for organizing and evaluating the available data on the state of China’s naval development: force structure (i.e. fleet size, vessel type and age distribution patterns); technological factors influencing combat proficiency; the primary function, main mission, and overall mission proficiency of the navy; and, fleet sustainability through logistics, maintenance and training. These factors will be assessed separately, drawing on the heuristic tools described in Chapter 3.