China is Expanding Its Short-Range Missle Production – Targeting Okinawa

One of the greatests military actions in the course of history (much less World War II) wasn’t the blitzkrieg, and it wasn’t D-Day. It was the opening salvo of the Pacific theatre on 7-8 December 1941, where the Japanese Navy became the largest and most fearsome empire in the world in less than three days. They did this by performing an act of war similar to that of the 4th generation warfare we witnessed in Iraq – disorienting application of firepower and armed forces. While it was on a strategic scale, the Allies were hit in so many places that it was difficult to determine where to fight back.

China it seems is embarking on a similar strategy concerning Taiwan:

The Chinese are working on a medium-range missile that will give Beijing the ability to launch attacks against the 25,000 U.S. troops deployed on the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. The new missiles also will be able to hit Taiwan from bases farther inland from the Chinese coast, the report said.

Beijing has adopted a new strategy of what Beijing military planners call “assassin’s mace” arms — advanced weapons designed for use against U.S. forces.

Current “assassins maces” that could trump advanced U.S. weapons include fighter bombers, submarines, antiship missiles, and mines that could attack U.S. aircraft carriers.

“Chinese doctrine continues to emphasize surprise, deception, and shock effect in the opening phase of a campaign,” the report said.

China’s military buildup has led the Pentagon to quietly build up its military forces in the Pacific in recent months. Attack submarines have been deployed in Guam, along with stockpiles of air-launched cruise missiles. Bombers also have been moved to the region to deal with either a conflict in Korea or possibly a war over Taiwan, defense officials said.