Creating an entirely new navy is not something that can be done overnight. For China to transform a green-water navy into a robust blue-water fleet would take at least a generation, and China needed a way to defend its coast while extending its reach long before the transition could be completed. To accomplish this, China set out to create a maritime buffer, develop a string of logistical hubs to support coastal vessels farther out and learn how to deal with a technologically superior U.S. Navy. This effort began a decade ago, and its progress has been nothing short of dramatic.