Harrison Kass
The network’s purpose is simple, yet carries profound implications for the global order: it is designed to make US military operations near China’s borders dangerous, expensive, and ineffective. The network does not rely on a single system, but on a multi-layered web of systems, across domains, which integrates long-range missiles, radars, aircraft, submarines, satellites, cyber tools, and electronic warfare platforms into one of the most capable defensive shields on earth.
At the core of the A2/AD network are long-range ballistic and cruise missiles, which give China striking ability. Systems like the DF-21D “carrier killer” and DF-26 “Guam killer” are designed to threaten large US warships—notably including aircraft carriers—at ranges previously thought unreachable. The effect is to push back US forces, making power projection into the Indo-Pacific more difficult and shifting the regional power balance towards China’s favor. Complementing the long-range missiles are mid-range cruise missiles including the YJ-12 and YJ-18, capable of high-speed terminal maneuvers and saturation attacks. Finally, China’s land-attack cruise missile, the CJ-10, extends its denial zone even further.
The missile systems rely upon data from a network of over-the-horizon (OTH) radars that can accurately monitor maritime activity thousands of kilometers away. Paired with China’s growing constellation of ISR satellites—including electro-optical, synthetic aperture radar, and electronic intelligence platforms—these systems provide wide-area detection, tracking, and fire-control-quality information. This web of satellites and radars is essential to making China’s long-range missiles effective.
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