US Military Report Identifies China as Top Threat to Naval Power

Report calls for an emphasis on US 'sea control' to counter China, Russia

The US Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard released a new maritime strategy plan on Thursday that identifies China as the greatest threat to US naval power. The report titled “Advantage at Sea” identifies both Beijing and Moscow as the greatest threats to US naval control of the world’s waterways but makes it clear China is the priority.

“We prioritize competition with China due to its growing economic and military strength, increasing aggressiveness, and demonstrated intent to dominate its regional waters and remake the international order in its favor,” the report reads.

China is already a priority for the US military judging by the deployment of naval resources. According to the report, approximately 60 percent of the US Navy’s forces are in the Indo-Pacific. The Marine Corps is working on repositioning its forces in the Pacific to better engage China, and Coast Guard cutters were recently deployed to the Western Pacific to counter China.

The report says China has implemented a “strategy and revisionist approach that aims at the heart of the United States’ maritime power.” To counter China and Russia, the document offers several steps the US naval services must take, including working with allies, modernization, and focusing more on “sea control.”

“We must increase our emphasis on controlling the seas in conflict to provide joint and allied forces with the freedom of maneuver to attack adversary forces and impose costs globally,” the report reads.

In what became known as the “pivot” to Asia, the Obama administration began renewed US military focus on the Pacific, which the Trump administration greatly accelerated. The Asia pivot is illustrated by the increased number of US military planes and warships being deployed to the region.

In October, a Beijing-based think tank that monitors flights and naval maneuvers in the region outlined the increase in US military activity in comments to Newsweek. The South China Sea Probing Initiative (SCSPI) told Newsweek that the US has nearly doubled its number of spy plane missions near China since 2009. The US Air Force is now flying an average of 1,500 sorties to the South China Sea each year.

When it comes to naval activity, SCSPI said: “According to our observations, since 2009, the US military has significantly enhanced the frequency of activities in the region by boosting the presence of surface vessels by more than 60 percent, reaching about 1,000 ship-days a year.”

Author: Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com, follow him on Twitter @decampdave.