Thursday, December 18, 2008

China Executes our Maritime Strategy

News here of China's decision to send a task force to the Horn of Africa (HOA) to aid in international efforts to combat piracy. Lo and behold, China is 1) acting like a responsible world citizen and 2) using the broad maritime commons as a low-impact venue for international cooperation. What China is doing is entirely consistent with the central tenets of the US Maritime Strategy "A Cooperative Strategy for 21st Century Seapower" with which I was associated while on active duty. We were heavily criticized for not calling China out in the document, but our data mining of both intelligence and media sources indicated that they knew EXACTLY which sections were targeted at them. Moreover, we sought with this strategy a methodology for tying China EVEN MORE CLOSELY to the international system in which it has considerable and growing equity. What is it that will keep the US and China from fighting a war someday? Shared interests. Pure and simple. We share an interest in the smooth functioning of the international order, and Navies are uniquely postured to help regulate that functioning (what Tom Barnett calls the "Sysadmin" function).

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

So China is executing OUR maritime strategy. Sounds to me as if you've set the conditions whereby we can now outsource the US Navy to China as well. Nice going. Really freaking brilliant.

Anonymous said...

Mousie, read the strategy. It is a very nuanced piece of military strategy and one could easily argue that it is serving its purpose if the Chinese are taking an active role in policing the global commons. I would be very curious to know if the strategy did indeed inform Bejing's decision to work on anti-piracy. This is not outsourcing, it is cooperation in an area where all the sailors of the world can agree.

Anonymous said...

Anon - I've read it...and I was attempting humor. Appears I failed...miserably

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