Naval War College Review Volume 63 Article 24 Number 1 Winter 2010 Winter 2010 Review The .SU . Naval War College Follow this and additional works at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review Recommended Citation War College, The .SU . Naval (2010) "Winter 2010 Review," Naval War College Review: Vol. 63 : No. 1 , Article 24. Available at: https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss1/24 This Full Issue is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Naval War College Review by an authorized editor of U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 1 Winter 2010 Volume 63, Number 1 Volume War College: Winter 2010 Review NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2010 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW Winter 2010 R COL WA LEG L E A A I V R A N O T C I V I R A M S U S B E I T R A T I T H S E V D U E N T I p Composite Default screen Naval War College Review, Vol. 63 [2010], No. 1, Art. 24 Cover A plane captain “walks down” the wing of an F/A-18C Hornet of Strike Fighter Squadron 113 on the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan (CVN 76), operating in the Gulf of Oman in September 2008. This stringent safety inspection, conducted before and after flight operations, exemplifies the new practicalities that will face the navy of the People’s Republic of China if—as our lead article, by Professors Nan Li and Christopher Weuve, argues is likely—it decides to build and operate carriers of its own. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Torrey W. Lee. https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss1/24 2 NWCR_Winter2010_Cover.inddNWCR_Winter2010_john-1.prn 2 11/25/2009 8:06:42 AM C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 1:21:07 PM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen War College: Winter 2010 Review NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW Winter 2010 Volume 63, Number 1 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS 686 Cushing Road Newport, RI 02841-1207 Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2010 3 NWCR_Winter2010_john.ps C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 11:28:31 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Naval War College Review, Vol. 63 [2010], No. 1, Art. 24 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS ADVISORY BOARD PRESIDENT, NAVAL WAR COLLEGE Adam Bellow Rear Adm. James P. Wisecup, USN Capt. Wayne P. Hughes, USN (Ret.) PROVOST Gale A. Mattox Amb. Mary Ann Peters Robert A. Silano Marin Strmecki DEAN OF NAVAL WARFARE STUDIES Dov S. Zakheim Robert C. Rubel NAVAL WAR COLLEGE PRESS NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW EDITORIAL BOARD Carnes Lord, Editor Donald Chisholm Pelham G. Boyer, Managing Editor Audrey Kurth Cronin Phyllis P. Winkler, Book Review Editor Peter Dombrowski Lori A. Almeida, Secretary and Circulation Manager Stephen Downes-Martin Frank Uhlig, Jr., Editor Emeritus Col. Theodore L. Gatchel, USMC (Ret.) Capt. Dennis Mandsager, JAGC, USN (Ret.) Naval War College Review William C. Martel Code 32, Naval War College Col. Mackubin Owens, USMC (Ret.) 686 Cushing Rd., Newport, RI 02841-1207 Lt. Cdr. Derek S. Reveron, USN Fax: 401.841.1071 Capt. Peter M. Swartz, USN (Ret.) DSN exchange, all lines: 948 Scott C. Truver Website: www.usnwc.edu/press Karl F. Walling http://twitter.com/NavalWarCollege James J. Wirtz Editor, Circulation, or Business 401.841.2236 [email protected] Managing Editor 401.841.4552 [email protected] Newport Papers, Books [email protected] Essays and Book Reviews 401.841.6584 [email protected] Other Naval War College Offices 401.841.3089 https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss1/24 4 NWCR_Winter2010_john.ps C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 11:28:31 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen War College: Winter 2010 Review The Naval War College Review was established in 1948 as a forum for discussion of public policy matters of interest to the maritime services. The thoughts and opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the U.S. government, the U.S. Navy Department, or the Naval War College. The journal is published quarterly. Distribution is limited generally to commands and activities of the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard; regular and reserve officers of U.S. services; foreign officers and civilians having a present or previous affiliation with the Naval War College; selected U.S. government officials and agen- cies; and selected U.S. and international libraries, research centers, publications, and educational institutions. Contributors Please request the standard contributors’ guidance from the managing editor or access it online before submitting manuscripts. The Naval War College Review nei- ther offers nor makes compensation for articles or book reviews, and it assumes no responsibility for the return of manuscripts, although every effort is made to return those not accepted. In submitting work, the sender warrants that it is original, that it is the sender’s property, and that neither it nor a similar work by the sender has been accepted or is under consideration elsewhere. Permissions Reproduction and reprinting are subject to the Copyright Act of 1976 and appli- cable treaties of the United States. To obtain permission to reproduce material bearing a copyright notice, or to reproduce any material for commercial pur- poses, contact the editor for each use. Material not bearing a copyright notice may be freely reproduced for academic or other noncommercial use; however, it is requested that the author and Naval War College Review be credited and that the editor be informed. Periodicals postage paid at Newport, R.I. POSTMASTERS, send address changes to: Naval War College Review, Code 32S, Naval War College, 686 Cushing Rd., Newport, R.I. 02841-1207. ISSN 0028-1484 Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2010 5 NWCR_Winter2010_john.ps C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 11:28:31 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen Naval War College Review, Vol. 63 [2010], No. 1, Art. 24 https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/nwc-review/vol63/iss1/24 6 NWCR_Winter2010_john.ps C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 11:28:31 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen War College: Winter 2010 Review CONTENTS From the Editors . 3 President’s Forum . 9 China’s Aircraft Carrier Ambitions An Update . 13 Nan Li and Christopher Weuve China is getting closer to realizing its aircraft carrier ambitions in terms of leadership endorsement, financial affordability, naval strategy, and requisite technologies. What might a Chinese carrier look like, and what would it mean? Allied Navies Great Britain Gambles with the Royal Navy. 33 Geoffrey Till British defense policy makers have taken a risky gamble for the future of the Royal Navy—they have undertaken the most ambitious program of fleet recapitalization for perhaps forty years, at a time when naval defense spending is less than half of what it was in the Cold War era. This gamble will only have paid off if and when current programs complete. Australia’s 2009 Defense White Paper A Maritime Focus for Uncertain Times. 61 Jack McCaffrie and Chris Rahman Defending Australia in the Asia Pacific Century represents Canberra’s first concerted attempt to address the security challenges posed by a rising China and regional great-power dynamics. It presents a sober view of the future and an indication of Australia’s determination to prepare for whatever that future may bring. How Will the DPJ Change Japan? . 77 Tobias Harris The victory of the Democratic Party of Japan over the Liberal Democratic Party, long the nation’s ruling party, seems to promise a genuine revolution in how the country is governed and to open the way to far-reaching reforms in the making of policy. But the effect on the U.S.-Japan alliance may not be so dramatic. Published by U.S. Naval War College Digital Commons, 2010 7 NWCR_Winter2010_john.ps C:\Documents and Settings\john.lanzieri.ctr\Desktop\NavalWarCollege\5294_NWC_Review_Winter2010\NWCR_Winter2010_john.vp Tuesday, November 24, 2009 11:28:31 AM Color profile: Disabled Composite Default screen 2 NAVAL WAR COLLEGE REVIEW Naval War College Review, Vol. 63 [2010], No. 1, Art. 24 Engaging Oceania . 97 Captain Sea Sovereign Thomas, U.S. Marine Corps Preoccupied with counterterrorism and democracy building in the Middle East, the United States has allowed its relationship with Oceania to wither. It is time to renew America’s relationship with this strategically crucial maritime area. Major Convoy Operation to Malta, 10–15 August 1942 (Operation PEDESTAL) . 107 Milan Vego The desperate Allied resupply convoy to Malta of August 1942 was required even though the British had to assume its objective, route, and timing would be transparent to the Axis. How did they plan the operation under such constraints, and how did they deal with their built-in disadvantages? Book Reviews National Security Dilemmas: Challenges and Opportunities, by Colin S. Gray reviewed by Andrew L. Stigler . 155 Creating the National Security State: A History of the Law That Transformed America, by Douglas T. Stuart reviewed by Richmond M. Lloyd . 156 Futures of War: Toward a Consensus View of the Future Security Environment, 2010–2035, by Sam J.