15 “saw the problem differently than they did”: Edward Wong and Jonathan Ansfield, “China’s Military Seeks More Sway, Worrying Communist Party,” New York Times, August 7, 2012, accessed March 18, 2014, http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/08/world/asia/chinas-military-seeks-more-sway-worrying-communist-party.html.

15 “those ‘little princes’ ”: Cheng Li, “Rule of the Princelings,” Cairo Review of Global Affairs, February 10, 2013, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.aucegypt.edu/gapp/cairoreview/Pages/articleDetails.aspx?aid=295.

16 British trading routes: “First World War: A Global View,” UK National Archives, accessed August 25, 2014, http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/first-world-war/a-global-view/#.

16 “Some say we’re fighting”: Wang Jisi and Kenneth G. Lieberthal, “Addressing U.S.-China Strategic Distrust,” Brookings Institution, March 30, 2012, accessed March 14, 2014, http://www.brookings.edu/research/papers/2012/03/30-us-china-lieberthal.

16 lingering image of CVN-80: Thomas J. Moore, “USS Enterprise: Past, Present and Future,” Navy Live (blog), U.S. Navy, December 1, 2012, accessed August 19, 2014, http://navylive.dodlive.mil/2012/12/01/uss-enterprise-past-present-and-future/.

16 “Ford-class carriers taking so long”: “Lead Ship Testing and Reliability Shortfalls Will Limit Initial Fleet Capabilities,” U.S. Government Accountability Office, September 5, 2013, accessed August 16, 2014, http://www.gao.gov/products/gao-13-396.

16 “You’re right that the DF-21E”: Otto Kreisher, “China’s Carrier Killer: Threat and Theatrics,” Air Force Magazine, December 2013, accessed December 3, 2013, http://www.airforcemag.com/magazinearchive/pages/2013/december%202013/1213china.aspx?signon=false.

17 “What will it be next”: Harry Kazianis, “Is AirSea Battle Obsolete?” Diplomat, June 21, 2012, accessed March 18, 2014, http://thediplomat.com/2012/06/is-airsea-battle-obsolete/.

17 “air-sea battle concept”: Jonathan W. Greenert and Norton A. Schwartz, “Air-Sea Battle,” American Interest, February 20, 2012, accessed February 20, 2012, http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=1212.

21 “a brilliant Russian scientist”: “Pavel A. Cherenkov — Biographical,” Nobel Lectures, Physics 1942–1962 (Amsterdam: Elsevier, 1964), cited on NobelPrize.org, accessed August 16, 2014, http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1958/cerenkov-bio.html.

22 “nine trillion dollars’ worth of our debt”: “The Budget and Economic Outlook: 2014 to 2024,” Congressional Budget Office, February 4, 2014, accessed August 16, 2014, http://www.cbo.gov/publication/45010.

22 “Britain’s biggest trading partner”: “The First World War: Look Back with Angst,” Economist, December 21, 2013, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.economist.com/news/leaders/21591853-century-there-are-uncomfortable-parallels-era-led-outbreak.

24 the four-engine Y-20: Andrew Erickson and Gabe Collins, “The Y-20: China Aviation Milestone Means New Power Projection,” China Real Time (blog), Wall Street Journal, January 28, 2013, accessed August 16, 2014, http://blogs.wsj.com/chinarealtime/2013/01/28/the-y-20-china-aviation-milestone-means-new-power-projection/.

25 largest submarine and air base: Notes from webcast lecture by Alexander Neill, Shangri-La Dialogue Senior Fellow for Asia-Pacific Security, International Institute for Strategic Studies, Washington, DC, October 28, 2013, http://www.iiss.org/en/events/events/archive/2013-5126/october-8493/chinas-5th-generation-leadership-7fb9.

27 Their liquid body armor’s exterior: “Case Study — Liquid Armour,” BAE Systems, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.baesystems.com/article/BAES_020435/liquid-armour.

28 “ ‘On terrain from which’ ”: Sun-Tzu, The Art of Warfare, trans. Roger T. Ames, chapter 11.

28 “PLA National Defense University”: “National Defense University PLA China,” ASEAN Regional Forum, November 17, 2011, accessed August 19, 2014, http://aseanregionalforum.asean.org/files/Archive/13th/9th%20ARF%20Heads%20of%20Defence%20UniversitiesCollegesInstitutions%20Meeting/NDU%20China.pdf.

29 “Alfred Thayer Mahan”: “Biographies in Naval History: Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, US Navy,” U.S. Naval History and Heritage Command, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.history.navy.mil/bios/mahan_alfred.htm.

29 “ ‘Americans must now’ ”: “The Price of Freedom: Americans at War — Spanish American War,” Smithsonian National Museum of American History, accessed August 19, 2014, http://amhistory.si.edu/militaryhistory/printable/section.asp?id=7.

30 “daring us to act”: Bernhard Zand, “Power in the Pacific: Stronger Chinese Navy Worries Neighbors and US,” Der Spiegel Online International, September 14, 2012, accessed March 18, 2014, http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/strengthening-of-chinese-navy-sparks-worries-in-region-and-beyond-a-855622.html.

30 “However deep the water”: Jane Cai and Verna Yu, “Xi Jinping Outlines His Vision of ‘Dream and Renaissance,’ ” South China Morning Post, March 18, 2013, accessed August 17, 2014, http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1193273/xi-jinping-outlines-his-vision-chinas-dream-and-renaissance.

31 “ ‘Those who know’ ”: Sun-Tzu, The Art of Warfare, trans. Roger T. Ames.

32 the 788th Regiment: John Pike, “8341 Unit — Central Security Regiment,” FAS.org, May 22, 1998, accessed August 17, 2014, http://fas.org/irp/world/china/pla/8341.htm; fictional unit.

32 “Our population demographics are not optimal”: Andrea den Boer and Valerie M. Hudson, “The Security Risks of China’s Abnormal Demographics,” Monkey Cage (blog), Washington Post, April 30, 2014, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/monkey-cage/wp/2014/04/30/the-security-risks-of-chinas-abnormal-demographics/.

32 “Our trade routes”: Sean Mirski, “How to Win a War with China,” National Interest, November 1, 2013, accessed August 19, 2014. http://nationalinterest.org/commentary/how-win-war-china-9346.

32 “Our need for outside energy”: “China: Analysis,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, February 4, 2014, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=ch.

37 Defense Intelligence Agency: “Defense Intelligence Agency — About,” U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.dia.mil/About.aspx.

38 A compact HK G48: “G36C — Das ultrakurze Sturmgewehr,” Heckler and Koch, accessed August 17, 2014, http://www.heckler-koch.com/de/produkte/militaer/sturmgewehre/g36/g36c/produktbeschreibung.html; fictional version.

38 using covert radio signals: Geoffrey Ingersoll, “The NSA Has Secretly Developed the ‘Bigfoot’ of Computer Hacks,” BusinessInsider.com, January 15, 2014, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.businessinsider.com/nsa-has-the-bigfoot-of-computer-hacks-2014-1.

39 SIPRNet classified network: Sharon Weinberger, “What Is SIPRNet?” Popular Mechanics, December 1, 2010, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/computer-security/what-is-siprnet-and-wikileaks-4085507.

39 air-gapped: Peter W. Singer and Allan Friedman, Cybersecurity and Cyberwar: What Everyone Needs to Know (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).

39 three faintly glowing metallic smart-rings: Darren Quick, “Ring Puts the Finger on Gesture Control,” Gizmag, March 4, 2014, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.gizmag.com/logbar-smart-ring-bluetooth/31080/.

39 nicknamed the Eastern MIT: “Shanghai Jiao Tong University,” Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2012–2013, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/world-university-rankings/2012-13/world-ranking/institution/shanghai-jiao-tong-university.

39 Hainan Island incident: “Interview with Lt. Shane Osborn, U.S. Navy,” Frontline, accessed August 19, 2014, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/china/interviews/osborn.html.