Once More Into the Breach: The Pentagon's 2005 Assessment of Chinese Military Power

The July 2005 report on Chinese military power represents a major milestone in the Department of Defense's (DoD) annual assessments of the People's Liberation Army's capabilities. For the first time since the Bush Administration assumed office, the Pentagon has asserted that China possesses capabilities that threaten the region as well as Taiwan. What is the basis for DoD's new assessment, and what are the implications for future U.S. strategy towards China?

About the presenter:

Jonathan D. Pollack served as Chair of the Strategic Research Department between 2000 and 2004. He holds M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Michigan and was a post-doctoral research fellow at Harvard University. Dr. Pollack was previously affiliated with the RAND Corporation, Brandeis University, UCLA, and the RAND Graduate School of Policy Studies. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Committee on International Security and Arms Control of the National Academy of Sciences, and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.

Dr. Pollack has published widely on China's political and strategic roles; the international politics of Northeast Asia; U.S. policy in Asia and the Pacific; and Chinese technological and military development. Dr. Pollack's latest publications include articles in Asia-Pacific Review, Issues and Studies, Korea National Defense University Review, Naval War College Review, Strategic Comments, Orbis, and Asian Survey; and chapters in various publications. He is the author of the forthcoming Power Shift: China and Asia's New Dynamics (forthcoming, 2005); If China Attacks Taiwan (forthcoming, 2005); and Redesigning East Asia's Strategic Map: Interests, Identity, and Power (forthcoming, 2005). He is completing a volume on Korea in the longer term, to be published in 2006.