James Holmes
James Holmes is an Associate Professor of Strategy at the Naval War College and co-author of Chinese Naval Strategy in the 21st Century: The Turn to Mahan. The views expressed here are his own.
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Articles by James Holmes
Defending the Strait: Taiwan’s Naval Strategy in the 21st Century
The Taiwan Navy can no longer keep up with a Chinese military that commands vast material preponderance, both quantitative and, increasingly, qualitative. It should no longer try. Nevertheless, the strategic
China’s Maritime Strategy Is More Than Naval Strategy
The sporadic confrontations that punctuated the past two years in the China seas subsided for a time. Senior U.S. military officials depicted the lull as a temporary, tactical retreat from
Ryukyu Chain in China’s Island Strategy
In late August the Japanese daily Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) intend to stage their first-ever island defense exercises in December. The maneuvers will be held
The Japanese Archipelago through Chinese Eyes
China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) forces took to the East China Sea in late June for live-fire maneuvers. These naval exercises were widely interpreted as expressions of preemptive Chinese
Taiwan’s Navy: Able to Deny Command of the Sea?
The first installment of this series on the Republic of China Navy (ROCN), or Taiwan Navy, presented a skeptical assessment of the ROCN’s ability to fulfill the expansive requirements set
Taiwan’s Navy: Still in Command of the Sea?
The Republic of China Navy (ROCN), or Taiwan Navy, has an ambitious vision for its future strategy. According to the “ROC Navy Vision,” which is available on the Navy’s website,
Is China a “Soft” Naval Power?
China created a stir late last year when it announced that the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) would commence policing the Gulf of Aden for Somali pirates. Two PLAN destroyers
A Chinese Turn to Mahan?
Robert Kaplan proclaims that “the Chinese are the Mahanians now,” enamored with the fin de siècle American sea captain who exhorted seafaring nations to amass international commerce, merchant and naval