Three Warfares with American Characteristics: Renewing the South China Sea Freedom of Navigation Program for the Information Age

Abstract

The Freedom of Navigation Program is, at its heart, an Operation in the Information Environment. In the 2010s, the program was unsuccessful in achieving a desirable change among any of the intended audiences. The West Capella standoff in 2020 was a new development in the Navy's South China Sea mission, since it focused on economics and was defensive in nature, in contrast to previous operations, which focused on abstract legal arguments and were contorted by the Chinese propaganda system to seem aggressive. By learning from the lessons of West Capella together with those of previous Freedom of Navigation Operations, the US can construct an information strategy that will more successfully maintain the rule of law in the South China Sea.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 29, 2021
Accession Number
AD1178126

Entities

People

  • Andrew C. Mueller

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Agreements
  • Coast Guard
  • Department Of State
  • Doctrine
  • Foreign Relations
  • Gray Zone
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Law
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Public Policy
  • Treaties
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Coastal Oceanography
  • Economics
  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.