China's "Active Defense" Strategy and its Regional Impact

Just prior to the Secretary of Defense Gates' recent trip Beijing, the Commander of U.S. Pacific Forces, Admiral Willard, noted that China will soon field an antiship ballistic missile capable of targeting U.S. aircraft carriers up to a thousand miles off of China's coast. A few days later, while Secretary Gates was in Beijing, the Chinese military flight tested its first stealth fighter, allowing news of the test to "leak" out to the internet.

These developments, along with others the Comm...