The People’s Liberation Army: An Assessment

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Abstract

Most analyses of the evolution of the People’s Liberation Army have tended to focus either on the tremendous strides forward it has made in the past thirty years or on its deficiencies. The former cite developments that include the indigenous production of stealthy fighter planes, hypersonic glide vehicles, quieter submarines, anti-ship ballistic missiles, and a second aircraft carrier, concluding either that the United States should accommodate the interests of this rising power or increase its defenses to deter it. The latter note deficiencies such as endemic corruption, morale problems; a defense industry plagued by difficulties engendered by an incomplete transition from central planning to a market-oriented system; coordinating the integration of new weapons systems into battle plans; quality control; and bureaucratic fragmentation. While crediting the Chinese military with significant advances, they tend to conclude that these deficiencies will prevent the PLA from posing a serious challenge to United States hegemony.
This paper will attempt a balanced assessment of the various claims and counterclaim, and their implications for U.S. policymaking.

Author

• June Teufel Dreyer, University of Miami