The last year has seen some unusual construction going on in the South China Sea. China has been building small islands from existing reefs with the purpose of placing military bases — including airfields — on them.

These new islands will give China additional military presence in the region, and reinforce Beijing’s claims on a region rich in fisheries and potentially wealthy in natural gas. The islands are in effect permanent aircraft carriers — on station 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

In military terminology, China’s island outposts are part of a “kill chain,” the web of sensors on manned and unmanned aircraft, spy satellites, surface ships, and submarines stretching all the way back to Beijing.

In the event of a war, China’s kill chain could locate, identify, and track enemy ships — especially big ones like aircraft carriers — and proceed to sink them.

But Beijing’s island bases are much more vulnerable than a moving carrier.

In the event of an actual shooting war, these tiny island outposts wouldn’t likely survive for more than a few hours. They’re permanent and quite useful in peacetime, and temporarily dangerous — and extremely short-lived — in wartime.

Take, for example, Fiery Cross Reef.

Read more: http://theweek.com/articles/553700/how-china-stealthily-built-kill-chain-south-china-sea