The Chinese Navy is about to get some serious on-the-job training. In its first deployment of battle-ready warships beyond the Pacific, China will send a supply ship and two destroyers to the Gulf of Aden to protect Chinese merchant ships that pass through the pirate-heavy waterway. Perhaps more important than protecting its ships, the deployment will give the adolescent Navy a chance to mix it up with the big boys. The Navy can also use the opportunity to closely watch NATO warships, pick up communication techniques, learn about logistics and experience combat against seaborne opponents.
Read it at New York Times
