The Coast Guard Proving Ground: Assessing the Effectiveness of White Hulls in the Gray Zone of the South China Sea
Abstract
Coast Guards are a preferred tool in confronting transnational threats to security and prosperity. In the South China Sea, Coast Guards now play a lead role in volatile maritime disputes to assert or defend often ambiguous maritime territorial and sovereignty claims. Coast Guards are an effective part of a minimally provocative approach to counter China's assertive and controversial maritime strategy. Although Coast Guards create decision space in times of conflict by lowering the risk of escalation, their effectiveness as a deterrent or enforcement mechanism against Chinese paramilitary infringements on exclusive economic zones is tempered. Future success of white hulls in the South China Sea and protection of US interests there will require whole-of government enablers such as multi-lateral frameworks, ASEAN diplomacy, and confidence building measures. To the extent common ground can be found for diplomacy, Coast Guards tend to be useful instruments to rally around. Expanding the US Coast Guard's presence and role in the Indo-PACOM theater can also advance US national security goals by leveraging the service's unique access and reputation to strengthen US influence, security cooperation, and bilateral/ multilateral law enforcement capacity so that the US remains in a position of greatest strength to be the "partner of choice" for Southeast Asia.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 20, 2020
- Accession Number
- AD1177449
Entities
People
- Nicholas A. Barrow
Organizations
- Marine Corps University