2011 report to congress - U.S.-China Economic and Security Review ...

dkrause on DSKHT7XVN1PROD with $$_JOB195Example of a Possible PLA Cyber AttackAgainst the U.S. Military—ContinuedIn particular, he suggested that a prime target for the PLAmight be the U.S. military’s logistics data system, referred to asthe time-phased force and deployment data. 230 Although thedata are stored and transmitted over unclassified networks, they‘‘provide detailed information about what gets moved, conveyances,routes, and start and stop times.’’ 231 If the PLA were ableto intercept, disrupt, or obstruct these data, it could result in seriousimplications for U.S. warfighters. However, it is importantto note that, according to a Commission-contracted study, thePLA appears to be aware that a cyber attack on the U.S. military’slogistics system would not cause the military to be unableto function. Rather, it is seen as one method to slow or hinderthe deployment of U.S. forces into the region. 232Second, because it posits the need to exert control over a growingarea of the western Pacific, the PLA’s Area Control Strategy increasinglyimpacts other regional actors, not just the United Statesand Taiwan. During the Commission’s May 2011 meeting withscholars from the East-West Center in Hawaii, the center’s SeniorFellow Denny Roy noted that military threats are one way thatChina seeks to establish a ‘‘sphere of influence’’ in East Asia, especiallySoutheast Asia. 233 General Deptula pointed out how improvedPLA area control capabilities are:a growing threat to the U.S. and other countries in the region.These augmented capabilities can be used in coercivediplomacy and to contest territorial disputes by force, orthreat of force. Increasingly, the PRC is focusing on developingcapabilities that project power throughout the region,enhancing China’s position in Asia and the world militaryhierarchy. 234Robert F. Willard, commander of the U.S. Pacific Command,echoed this sentiment when he stated in December 2010 that:[China’s] anti-access/area denial systems, more or less,range countries, archipelagos such as Japan, the Philippinesand Vietnam, so there are many countries in the regionthat are falling within the envelope of this, of an [antiaccess/areadenial] capability of China. That should be concerning,and we know is concerning, to those countries.While it may be largely designed to assure China of itsability to affect military operations within its regional waters,it is an expanded capability that ranges beyond thefirst island chain and overlaps countries in the region. Forthat reason, it is concerning to Southeast Asia, and it remainsconcerning to the United States. 235Furthermore, were the PLA to have the capacity to control majorportions of the western Pacific, it could allow China to exert moreinfluence throughout the region (see figure 2, below). Beijing coulduse PLA area control capabilities to deny states access to regionalVerDate Nov 24 2008 13:46 Nov 10, 2011 Jkt 067464 PO 00000 Frm 00207 Fmt 6601 Sfmt 6601 G:\GSDD\USCC\2011\067464.XXX 067464