Catherine Marie Abbott
Once considered a green-water force, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) has rapidly evolved into a prominent blue-water navy, demonstrating its prolific naval ecosystem, including the 2022 launch of aircraft carrier Fujian and the 2025 resumption of joint operations with Russia in the East China Sea. With the preponderances of Beijing’s innovative infrastructure and expanding naval syndicate, designed not only to maintain regional hegemony in the East but also to extend its anti-access/area denial (A2/AD) envelope and overall threat profile, its reach now threatens U.S. basing facilities in allied territories such as Japan.
This overextended naval reach has amplified vulnerabilities in U.S. maritime operations, particularly for repair and reloading, with Yokosuka Naval Base serving as a prominent U.S. naval ship repair facility and missile replenishment hub positioned within striking range. Although the U.S. maintains additional larger facilities in California and Hawaii, their use as a reload and repair station creates external vulnerability in sustaining logistical support during prolonged conflict.
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