A U.S. Option Playbook for Contingency Planning to Reclaim Scarborough Shoal

Abstract

The South China Sea has become a flashpoint for conflict in Asia. This is due, in large part, to the gradual and coercive control exerted by China over the land features, sea, and airspace of this strategic waterway linking Southeast and East Asia. China has done so by (1) employing maritime law enforcement and maritime militia vessels to assert administrative control over disputed territory and waters within its Nine-Dash Linea vague area delineated by China as constituting the countrys claims over virtually all the land features and maritime area of the South China Seaand (2) denying the use of this area to other claimants, such as the Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, and Taiwan.1 China appears to calculate that using such nonmilitary assets as coast guard vessels, maritime militia, and other civilian maritime actors while keeping Peoples Liberation Army Navy surface ships over the horizon will enable it to achieve its strategic goals while minimizing the risk of further escalation.2 This strategy has arguably been quite effective.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2019
Accession Number
AD1077813

Entities

People

  • Lyle J. Morris

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Coast Guard
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Corporations
  • Governments
  • Intellectual Property
  • Law
  • Military Facilities
  • Military Forces (Foreign)
  • Military Operations
  • Naval Operations
  • Navies (Foreign)
  • Public Policy
  • Security
  • South China Sea
  • Treaties
  • United States

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering.
  • Strategic Security Studies

Technology Areas

  • Space