Crossing the Strait: China's Military Prepares for War with Taiwan.

This document is a review of the book "Crossing the Strait: China's Military Prepares for War with Taiwan." The book is a collection of papers from a conference on the People's Liberation Army (PLA) jointly sponsored by Taiwan's Council on Advanced Policy Studies (CAPS), the RAND Corporation, and the US National Defense University. The book covers various aspects of the cross-Strait military situation, including the development of the current situation, the impact of PLA modernization on the military balance, and the options for both China and Taiwan. The authors credit the PLA with improvements but also highlight deficiencies, such as a lack of experience in executing a cross-Strait campaign and a Leninist organizational culture that values control at the highest level. The book also discusses Taiwan's counter capabilities, including the Overall Defense Concept (ODC), which focuses on littoral defense. However, the book notes challenges such as military recruitment shortfalls and a stagnant defense budget. Overall, the book provides valuable insights into the cross-Strait military situation, although readers may wonder about the progress made since the conference. [Extracted from the article]