ANALYSIS – Short-term appearances, or sporadic transiting Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPS) by U.S. Navy ships, won't keep China from dominating the Western Pacific, says one expert.
To effectively combat Communist China's encroaching semi-permanent military and naval presence there, we need an enduring presence ourselves – everywhere.
But this is impossible with the less than 300 ships the U.S. Navy currently possesses.
However, forward deploying more military forces at bases in Guam and elsewhere in the Western Pacific and increasing joint operations with regional allies such as Japan, Australia and the Philippines is one way to make up the shortage. (RELATED: Chinese Warships Harass Japanese Islands For 3 Days As Philippines Gives US Access To More Bases)
Deploying more U.S. Coast Guard assets is another.
China's use of presence, harassment and intimidation using People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) warships, armed Coast Guard vessels and a massive militarized fishing fleet (maritime militias) throughout the Pacific – are all part of its steady ‘gray zone warfare' to gain influence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Speaking at the annual Sea Air Space conference, Naval War College professor Dr. James Holmes told an audience largely made up of Navy officers and other military officials that highly visible American naval forces need to be all over the Asia-Pacific region in a consistent manner. (RELATED: As China Prepares for War With US, Is America's Military Becoming a Giant Baby Daycare?)
As Military.com reported: “The academic argued that one of the strongest messages the military needs to send to local residents, like a fisherman heading into the waters surrounding his home, is that the American military will keep them safe.”
Holmes added, referring to China: “We should strive to get that fisherman to have the confidence to go out and make a living for himself and his family without undue fear of abuse at the hands of the [domineering] coastal state that's asserting itself unlawfully and effectively in defiance of international law.” (RELATED: Blue-Collar Workers Sue Prominent Environmental Group For Defamation)
This comes with the backdrop of China's ever-growing naval intimidation of U.S. allies like Taiwan, Japan, and the Philippines, where Chinese maritime vessels regularly encircle disputed islands and bully and drive out local fishermen.
As Holmes notes: “The U.S. Navy… puts in an appearance once in a while and what's the precedent? Only to soon steam away, leaving Chinese maritime forces in possession of disputed water and the skies.”
While the U.S. Navy needs far more ships to counter China in the Pacific, as I have written about regularly, the Pentagon is taking other steps to mitigate the growing Chinese threat without the larger fleet it needs. (RELATED: US Air Force And Marines Rebuilding Forces To Fight China, What About Army?)
As Holmes said, we need to “harness joint and combined maritime forces, along with geography… [for] strategic and political gain.”
Military.com reports:
In January, the Marine Corps announced that it is reopening a base on Guam and plans to move thousands of Marines to the island over the next several years.
Vice Adm. Andrew Tiongson, the commander of Coast Guard forces in the Pacific, said at the same conference that his service is also “pushing our fast response cutters … that are headquartered in Hawaii and Guam.”
Tiongson added that the Coast Guard is “going to experiment with rotary wing forces out of Guam trying to get more access that way or further reach.”
On Monday, the Philippine government announced four new local military camps, including some that face Taiwan, where armed American troops would be able to rotate in and stay indefinitely.
As Holmes concluded: “You have to step onto the field of competition and stay there for the duration of the contest, if you hope to prevail.”
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of American Liberty News.
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Folks out there in American Liberty Land, please STOP buying Chinese goods whenever you can. These guys are not our friends, never have been our friends.
Amen. I’ve been saying that for years. The Communist Red Chinese menace is growing bigger every year. Right now, they are buying up our farmland. They are always finding ways to obtain our latest technology. It’s Big Business’s fault for wanting cheap labor and a market of 1 billion people.