It is an honor to share the launch of the
@NavalInstitute
#MaritimeCOIN
Project. This effort assembles the world’s leading maritime strategists to examine ways to regain the initiative in the South China Sea. More articles will follow in the months ahead.
In case anyone needed more proof that the so-called “China Coast Guard” is not a real coast guard by any accepted definition. Real coast guards protect mariners in distress. The so-called China Coast Guard puts mariners in distress—an outrageous desecration of the law of the sea.
WATCH: 🇨🇳Chinese Coast Guard vessel fires water cannon against 🇵🇭Philippine boat Unaizah May 4 during its resupply mission to BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin Shoal on Saturday, March 23. 🎥: Armed Forces of the Philippines.
@gmanews
In amputating the finger of a Philippine sailor, the China Coast Guard shows its true colors: not just a maritime insurgency, but a maritime mafia syndicate.
The China Coast Guard is not a real coast guard—they are thugs and gangsters in coast guard uniforms. The CCG preys on unarmed civilians and desecrates the most basic precepts of the law of the sea. Real coast guards protect mariners in distress—the CCG puts mariners in distress.
The recent incident in Bajo de Masinloc has had a significant impact on the ordinary Filipino fishermen who rely on this area for their livelihood. These fishermen, who waited for their fuel subsidies and food packs, have been greatly affected by the illegal and hostile actions
This is a point that urgently needs to be heard: the 2nd Amendment's reference to a "well regulated militia" denotes a force raised by the duly elected government to defend the state--not just anyone who decides to call themselves a "militia."
Remarkable contrast between footage of USS CARNEY in combat defending unarmed civilian vessels from drone/missile attacks in the Red Sea, vs the China Coast Guard brusquely water cannoning unarmed Philippine civilians in the Philippines EEZ in the South China Sea.
#MaritimeCOIN
I’m honored to share that I have been appointed Maritime Strategist to the Secretary of the Navy. I’m privileged to be reporting to
@SECNAV
’s Senior Advisor
@SteveVBrock
with a portfolio covering Maritime Statecraft, maritime competition, the Navy’s Title X peacetime mission, 1/2
Note on messaging re: the China Coast Guard’s barbaric amputation of a Philippine sailor’s finger at Second Thomas Shoal. It is insufficient to describe what happened as an “injury,” a term that can be applied to something as minor as a scrape or cut. This was a dismemberment.
Upholding freedom of the sea in peace and war is a foundational U.S. interest. Keeping sea lines of communication open with good order at sea is a function of gaining and exercising command of the sea. These have been core USN missions since its inception.
America doesn’t and shouldn’t have a Navy to “police the sea lanes” or “uphold the RBIO.”
It should have one to ensure no potentially hostile power dominates one of the world’s key market areas. That means defeating the PLA in an attack on the FIC.
The Maritime COIN Project continues in the August issue of the
@NavalInstitute
@USNIProceedings
:
@Philippine_Navy
RADM Rommel Ong
@rjgo87
's must-read article applying David Galula to guide a regional response to China's insurgency in the South China Sea
This week,
@SECNAV
met with top shipbuilding execs in Korea and toured some of the world’s most technologically advanced & prolific shipyards. Discussions were very productive, centering on attracting investment in U.S. commercial and naval shipbuilding.
Profoundly honored to have won First Prize in this year's
@NavalInstitute
General Prize Essay Contest. My piece, "Execute Maritime Counterinsurgency in the South China Sea," will be featured in the May issue of USNI Proceedings.
#MaritimeCOIN
On the doorstep of the Russian Pacific Fleet's base at Vladivostok, a courageous statement of the U.S. commitment to the freedom of the sea by USS John S. McCain, eloquently conveyed by
@US7thFleet
Public Affairs. BZ.
@chinfo
@ViceCHINFO
China’s maritime insurgency in action in the South China Sea: the China Coast Guard again water cannoning unarmed Philippine civilian vessels in the Philippines’ recognized Exclusive Economic Zone. China’s actions desecrate the most foundational principles of the law of the sea.
Statement of the NTF WPS
Today is a sad day for Filipino fishermen. That China would go to great lengths to obstruct a Philippine humanitarian mission to assist our fishermen in their fishing grounds is not only shocking but appalling.
Earlier today, China Coast Guard (CCG)
The
@USNavy
has made the same error before & after nearly every war it’s been in: not having enough small combatants at start, scrambling to field some, then divesting afterward despite vital contributions. Divesting Mark VI would repeat this cycle (again)
Seminal speech by
@SECNAV
at
@Kennedy_School
calling for a "new maritime statecraft" that "encompasses not only naval diplomacy but a national, whole-of-government effort to build comprehensive U.S. and allied maritime power, both commercial and naval." 1/
Important message from
@SECNAV
at
@NavyLeagueUS
#SAS2024
on opportunities to partner with shipbuilders in ROK/Japan, building a culture of excellence & accountability in acquisition, + moving faster than the budget cycle on VLS at sea rearming. Key quotes:
The Maritime Counterinsurgency Project continues in the May issue of the
@NavalInstitute
@USNIProceedings
with Dr.
@CollinSLKoh
's comprehensive analysis of Southeast Asian efforts to push back against China's gray zone coercion in the South China Sea.
The next salvo in the
@NavalInstitute
Maritime Counterinsurgency Project is out in the August issue of Proceedings. CAPT Josh Taylor of INDOPACOM J5 has "A Campaign Plan for the South China Sea"—a blueprint to execute Maritime COIN with existing assets:
In April I approached
@PMCroninCNAS
with a new concept to reframe the Chinese challenge in the SCS and reorient US strategy to defeat it. Excited to present the first product of this collaboration: maritime insurgency and counterinsurgency
@TheNatlInterest
The
@NavalInstitute
’s Maritime Counterinsurgency Project continues in the
@USNIProceedings
with a terrific article by Capt Benjamin Goirigolzarri, PhD: “Lighting Up the Maritime Gray Zone.”
Terrific celebration of National Maritime Day at
@USDOT
@DOTMARAD
this morning.
@SECNAV
discussed recent advances in our whole of government efforts to rebuild our comprehensive maritime power as part of our new Maritime Statecraft. Read his remarks here:
Honored to have won Second Prize in the 2019
@NavalInstitute
General Prize Essay Contest. My piece, "Great Power Competitions Are Best Won Without Fighting," will be featured in the May issue of the USNI Proceedings.
#MaritimeCOIN
Quite a contrast in the South China Sea these past 24 hours: China continues its maritime insurgency against freedom of the sea, putting civilian mariners in distress, while the
@USNavy
/
@USPacificFleet
/
@US7thFleet
helps civilian mariners in distress.
#DefendFreeSeas
#MaritimeCOIN
The Maritime COIN Project continues in the April issue of the
@NavalInstitute
@USNIProceedings
with an excellent article by Cadet Jeffery Jaeger, U.S. Merchant Marine, discussing the nebulous legal status of China's People's Armed Forces Maritime Militia:
Maritime Counterinsurgency strikes again!!! The next salvo on how to understand and defeat China's maritime insurgency against international law in the South China Sea, over at
@TheNatlInterest
:
"Win Without Fighting." My latest article in the
@NavalInstitute
Proceedings, recognized in the 2019 General Prize Essay Contest. Thanks to
@bill_hamblet
, Julie Olver, and USNI for this honor and opportunity.
#MaritimeCOIN
as well as
@SECNAV
priority initiatives including Vertical Launch System at-sea rearming. I’m thrilled to be officially coming aboard SECNAV’s team and look forward to the work ahead. 2/2
This beautiful pictorial map shows the island of Hainan, China's southernmost point, as viewed from the north and shows the customs and habits of the Li tribes in the central part of the island.
Zoom in here:
Here it is: my second article in the
@NavalInstitute
Proceedings, winner of the 2018 General Prize Essay Contest, "The South China Sea Needs a 'COIN' Toss." Thanks to
@bill_hamblet
,
@jborourke
, and USNI for this honor, and this opportunity.
#MaritimeCOIN
Tour de force by James Holmes and
@SteveVBrock
on Maritime Statecraft at this year’s
@NavalWarCollege
Current Strategy Forum. Video will be a must-watch when posted. Read Dr. Holmes’s remarks here: Maritime Statecraft is a Process, a Habit, and a Culture.
Vital read from James Holmes: “Endeavors preceding the outbreak of hot war claim an enormous if not decisive share of what the sea service does…Only if the sea service falls short in peacetime competition does it need to morph into a ‘warfighting navy.’”
My remarks to the
@NavalInstitute
Annual Meeting on Thursday upon receiving the award for first prize in the 2018 General Prize Essay Contest. Honored and privileged to have the opportunity to present the new strategic concept of Maritime Insurgency/Counterinsurgency before USNI.
Pass the word for the launch of
@IrregWarfare
’s Project Maritime, spearheaded by phenomenal scholar and practitioner Lisa Munde. Follow the work at
@proj_maritime
.
Happy World Oceans Day!
Glad to mark the occasion by officially launching
@IrregWarfare
’s PROJECT MARITIME.
Follow us to explore the intersection of strategic competition and irregular warfare in the maritime dimension.
Link to full piece:
#Vietnam
will plays a more important role in the global fight against Covid-19 pandemic. It can produce 7 million
#fabricmasks
and 5.72 million
#surgicalmasks
a day, more than it needs.
New details in
@inquirerdotnet
of the China Coast Guard’s thuggery towards Philippine civilian mariners: the CCG uses hooks to ensnare swimming Philippine spearfishers, then forces them to walk barefoot over razor sharp coral reefs at gunpoint.
When
@BrianKerg
was writing his superb “useful fiction” short story for the
@NavalInstitute
Maritime COIN Project, he told me he wanted to depict a ship to ship boarding action. I did not realize how prescient he would be. Read Brian’s superb piece here:
LOOK | The China Coast Guard's coercive, aggressive, and barbaric actions during the humanitarian rotation and resupply mission at BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal on June 17, resulted in severe damage to AFP vessels, including their communication and navigation equipment.
China's Maritime Insurgency in action in the
#SouthChinaSea
:
"This is China’s water. You are not allowed to go fishing here. If you continue to do this, your net will be cut and your boat will be taken to China and you will be punished."
Kudos
@Bloomberg
Notice the reactions of the fishermen here. In the absence of US presence, they are resigned to China’s forcible imposition of its law over their international legal rights. When USS Wasp appears: excitement, even hope. When she departs: resignation again.
Let it ring. Outstanding piece by
@elisabethbraw
in
@WSJ
today on the vital importance of the sea in today’s world and the perils we invite by succumbing to sea-blindness. The 21st century is a maritime century. And for the US and its allies, maritime strategy is grand strategy.
USS Augusta near China's east coast at Shanghai in September 1937, exercising persistent presence as part of the U.S. Asiatic Fleet's counter-gray zone-campaign to defend free seas and the rule of international law against a revisionist rising power that was then invading China.
I can never imagine the US would send a warship so near China's east coast at such a controversial timing -- China is kicking off a 11-week long drill from today, and China-US ties are so frayed day by day.
Hoping
@PacificCommand
will release video of the incident between the PLAN DDG and USS Decatur. Vital for the world to see how recklessly aggressive/unprofessional PRC forces can be when interacting with US ships. Footage release effective in 2016 Donald Cook incidents in Baltic.
World events kept
@SECNAV
Del Toro from attending
@OurOceanGreece
this month, so he sent my boss, Senior Advisor to SECNAV
@SteveVBrock
, as his representative. As anyone who knows him would expect, Steve crushed it. Watch his remarks here:
BZ: “As part of the San Francisco Bay shipyard engagements, a senior member from SECNAV's staff conducted a site inspection of Richmond Shipyard to assess its capability and capacity including Richmond’s six graving docks, large railhead and expansive modular assembly area.”
Return to the Bay! SecNav visit to Mare Island point to realization that the Navy must act to address lagging warship maintenance capacities with new public shipyards - unlike commercial yards, public yards focus on nuclear maintenance. Consider this: “Everything has to be on
It bears repeating: China’s goal in the East and South China Seas is to disenfranchise weaker neighbors of their rightful EEZs. U.S./allied forces seek to defend free seas—China is working to subjugate civilian mariners and impose a closed, unfree sea via its maritime insurgency.
It was a privilege to moderate the panel on "Maritime Competition in the Indo-Pacific" at
@NavyLeagueUS
's 2023 Sea Air Space earlier this month. The panel audio can be found here:
#SAS2023
#MaritimeCOIN
Take a few minutes to read the riveting excerpt of
@GregPoling
's new book On Dangerous Ground: America's Century in the South China Sea published this week in
@ForeignPolicy
. Then go read the book.
Crucial piece on the precipitous decline in U.S. strategic sealift and logistics capacity. If the U.S. wants to project landpower to Europe--or maritime power to Asia--we need more logistics ships. Per
@cdrsalamander
and
@lawofsea
: chalk one up for "unsexy but important."
Situation in
#SCS
may be grave but US and allies can stage a recovery where it matters most--upholding the rule of int'l law and Freedom of the Sea. We need to break out of tired conventional mindsets, get creative, and get forward.
#MaritimeInsurgency
#MaritimeCounterinsurgency
This is what China would like all, analysts included, to believe and then adapt their behaviour accordingly “It’s too late”. Despite the obvious squatting, the effects of China’s annexation can be neutered. But not if you stop thinking
@HunterStires
"In my almost four decades with national defense starting in the Pentagon under Ronald Reagan, I never saw or imagined so uneven a handover of American security interests and principles with nothing in return. It was like watching the destruction of a cathedral."
-Ash Carter
“China’s maritime claims pose the single greatest threat to the freedom of the seas in modern history. We cannot afford to re-enter an era where states like China attempt to assert sovereignty over the seas.” This is excellent. Well done
@StateDept
.
#MaritimeCOIN
China's annual unilateral fishing ban is a key part of its
#MaritimeInsurgency
to overturn int'l law & impose PRC law on the
#SouthChinaSea
. Civilians need security/confidence to defy PRC threats. Decisive question in battle of legal regimes: "Whose laws do the civilians follow?"
Privileged to be discussing the Maritime COIN Project on the
@NavalInstitute
Proceedings Podcast with
@NavalWarCollege
Professor James Holmes and Proceedings Editor-In-Chief
@bill_hamblet
—tonight at 6pm EST.
Today's episode of the Proceedings Podcast has been rescheduled to include not one, but TWO special guests! Tune-in today at 6 PM for our Livestream on the Maritime COIN Project with Hunter Stires and Dr. James Holmes from the Naval War College.
Huge congrats to
@JeffVandenengel
for taking this year's top spot. For those who haven't read his most recent article "Fighting Along a Knife Edge in the Falklands" (winner of the 2019 CNO Naval History Essay Contest), check it out below--it's excellent.
Last week,
@SECNAV
met with
@GovEvers
, members of
@GovWhitmer
’s cabinet, and the leadership of
@FincantieriUS
to coalesce federal, state, and local initiatives to ensure timely completion and delivery of the Constellation-class frigate. Read more here:
Great thread here about the genius Japanese operational planner and utter war criminal (who got away with it) Col. Masanobu Tsuji. Tsuji's book, "Singapore: The Japanese Version," is a fascinating look into a brilliant (if morally/ethically repulsive) military mind.
@RowRowRow7
Learned about LT COL Tsuji Masanobu today, the Japanese Imperial Army's "god of strategy". Tsuji was the planning genius behind General Yamashita's dash to Singapore. But much more than that besides. A militarist, war criminal and ultimate survivor. 1.
Great to see
@nytimes
highlighting the importance of U.S. commercial shipping and shipbuilding, in this case a Jones Act ConRo by NASSCO for Matson. America is a maritime nation, and the sinews of seapower are more than just naval.
@DOTMARAD
@mercoglianos
For more on China’s maritime insurgency against the freedom of the sea and the rule of international law in the South China Sea and expert perspectives on how we can push back, check out the
@NavalInstitute
’s Maritime COIN Project in the
@USNIProceedings
:
Looking forward to discussing Maritime Insurgency and Maritime Counterinsurgency in the South China Sea with
@cdrsalamander
and
@lawofsea
on
#Midrats
today at 5pm--tune in!
YES!!! Terrific
@TheNatlInterest
article by my badass mentor at
@NavalWarCollege
, Prof. James Holmes: FONOPs "are necessary but not sufficient guarantors of the freedom of the sea." Instead of drive-bys, it's time we go and stay
#MaritimeCounterinsurgency
“U.S. Navy maintains persistent presence near West Capella.” More great messaging from
@US7thFleet
‘s Vice Adm. Bill Merz and
@Amphib7FLT
‘s Rear Adm. Fred Kacher. Kudos to
@DESRON_7
’s PAO team who’s been killing it lately. This is
@USPacificFleet
defending free seas.
#MaritimeCOIN
Great piece by Professors Richard K. Betts and
@mattwaxman1
on adding safeguards to US nuclear launch procedure. My only question would be--what kind of risks would this arrangement create in terms of adding Clausewitzian friction to our ability to launch?
Educating leaders:
@SECNAV
States that the Navy requires "more rising civilian policymakers to be educated in maritime strategy so that they can better understand how naval power can be effectively employed to achieve our nation’s political objectives in both peace and conflict."
As of today, it's official--very excited to be aboard as Adjunct Affiliate for Maritime Strategy with
@PMCroninCNAS
at the Asia-Pacific Security Program at
@CNASdc
!
With China’s acts of aggression in the Philippines EEZ at Second Thomas Shoal, retired
@Philippine_Navy
Vice Commander RADM Rommel Ong’s (
@rjgo87
) article for the
@NavalInstitute
Maritime COIN Project in
@USNIProceedings
is particularly relevant right now:
"Without the permission of China, you cannot carry out the interview here," the Chinese coast guard officer told Jun Veneracion of Reporter's Notebook. “But this is within the exclusive economic zone of the Philippines,” the journalist said.
Vital analysis from
@Scholars_Stage
on how Taiwan can win a war with China. Long story short--it's more than just possible. Taiwan and allied democracies in Asia should take heart and know that they can indeed stand up to Chinese bullying and aggression. Remember Britain in 1940.
Outstanding discussion on maritime irregular warfare in history and today on
@CIMSEC
’s Sea Control podcast with
@WDMills1992
and
@WWATMD
—well worth a listen.
I had fun with
@WDMills1992
and the
@cimsec
podcast talking about the U.S. Navy in the age of sail, and specifically about the Quasi War with France. (All mistakes are my own.)
“Right now, we build the most-capable warships in the world in shipyards that are decades behind the global technological standard… an inefficient approach requiring far too much time, workforce, and taxpayers’ dollars…wholly inadequate to pace our 21st Century competitors.” 2/
-
@SECNAV
: “ripe with opportunity to partner with…shipbuilders here in the U.S. and with our closest allies overseas, including Japan and South Korea… to attract the most advanced shipbuilders… to open U.S.-owned subsidiaries and invest in commercial shipyards here in the U.S."
Outstanding article by
@hkbeech
on China's maritime insurgency against the rule of international law in the South China Sea. BZ & well done for *personally* standing up to Chinese harassment and shining a light on what SE Asian civilian mariners face daily
Key points:
-
@SECNAV
calls out "China's coercive maritime insurgency in the South China Sea”
- Devotes significant attention to the need to rebuild American commercial seapower
- Issues demand signal to academia to educate future civilian leaders in maritime strategy and history