China Plans to Attack America’s ‘Achilles’ Heel’

China’s People’s Liberation Army (pla) published a list of “vulnerable” American communications assets that it would target in the event of a full-scale conflict, the South China Morning Post wrote Monday.

Why it matters: Some of the United States military would be a sitting duck if communication technologies were compromised. For this reason, America’s reliance on vulnerable computer technologies has been called its “Achilles’ heel.”

Details: The list was published by the pla’s electronic warfare unit in the latest issue of the state’s Defense Industry Conversion in China journal. The list of U.S. naval targets it would attack in a war include radars, sensors and other communications equipment.

Beijing plans to attack America’s vital Cooperative Engagement Capability (cec) system, through which the U.S. Navy can share resources. The report’s author, Mo Jiaqian, says China can do this by targeting the an/spy-1 phased array radar on Aegis ships—the most advanced naval combat system in the world—and the E-2C Hawkeye early warning aircraft.

She claims Beijing can overwhelm and disrupt these systems by:

• Broadcasting fake signals
• Repeatedly requesting access

Mo believes the cec’s technological prowess is also its greatest weakness:

It is formed through the networking of phased array radars, which relies on wireless communication links. When the opposing force employs electronic interference, the wireless links are prone to disconnection or disruption.

Prophesied disruption: The Bible shows military communication disruptions could play a major role in America’s fall. The U.S. must learn it cannot trust technology for protection.

Learn more: Read “America’s Achilles’ Heel—and Germany.”