The United States must counteract China’s rapidly growing military power and aggressive behavior in the Pacific or risk losing its status as the world’s most powerful maritime military force, according to a new maritime strategy report jointly signed Thursday (Dec. 17) by senior officials from the U.S. Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
The new 36-page strategy report is titled Advantage at Sea. The report notes that the United States is competing with China and Russia on a daily basis and that how the United States responds over the next decade will determine the balance of maritime power for the remainder of this century.
Gen. David Berger, commanding general of the Marine Corps, Adm. Mike Gilday, chief of naval operations, and Adm. Carl Schultz, commanding general of the Coast Guard, write that they have been wary of the growing maturity of Chinese naval power and Russia’s increasing They have been wary of China’s growing naval power and Russia’s increasing aggression.
While both Russia and China are adversaries of the United States, China is the most pressing long-term strategic threat, several admirals said in the report.
“For generations, we have guaranteed security and prosperity and preserved the values our nation holds dear,” they said. “But China’s behavior and accelerating military growth has put it on a trajectory that challenges our ability to continue to do so.”
This is the first time in at least five years that the Tri-Service has released a strategic report. The report calls on the three services to have “a sense of urgency in integrating and modernizing military forces as we prepare for the challenges of the future.”
In the report, jointly authored by the three service generals, they wrote: “Our integrated Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard must maintain a clear resolve to compete with, deter and, if necessary, defeat our adversaries while we accelerate the development of a modern, integrated, domain-wide maritime force for the future.”
They noted, “Our actions during this decade will influence the balance of maritime power for the remainder of this century.”
Maj. Gen. Paul Rock, director of Marine Corps Strategy and Plans, said the U.S. military will not provoke or unnecessarily put its officers and men in harm’s way.
Maj. Gen. Rock said, “It clearly shows that when you have an adversary that has been seeking to operate under some perceptible threshold, we will make it very clear that we will operate, reinforce and maintain our existing international standards and rules-based order, particularly in the Pacific over a 70-year period.”
Rear Adm. James Bynum, acting deputy chief of Naval Operations Development, said the U.S. military has largely avoided hostile acts from China, Russia and other countries in the past, helping to reduce tensions.
That will change as the U.S. “becomes more responsive and more assertive in our military operations,” Bynum said.
The other side of the coin, Bynum said, is the posture of the U.S. military. Do we have the capability to deter sinister intent with the necessary force, sufficient training, military strength and visible presence? “
Rear Admiral Locke said the U.S. will also rely on allies to expose activities that adversaries may be engaging in in the region.
Gen. Berger and Navy Secretary Kenneth Braithwaite have always placed special emphasis on the threat China poses to the United States. The Marine Corps is undergoing a complete reorganization to prepare for more maritime missions in the Asia-Pacific region.
Braithwaite in October called China “an unprecedented threat in our history.”
This new maritime strategy outlines China’s rapidly developing naval power and ability to mobilize a large workforce.
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