Competing in the Contact Layer: How the United States Navy Can Defeat Chinese Gray Zone Operations

Abstract

As China operates in the littorals--developing and expanding its influence over the region through competition below armed conflict--the U.S. Navy will ultimately find that its desired force structure will be put at a disadvantage. By appreciating the Chinese strategy in the littorals of conducting Gray Zone operations, and by adopting a new paradigm for Amphibious Warfare Ships and Naval Expeditionary Forces, the U.S. Navy will produce a different and more potent force to effectively compete in the littorals. This different type of force must persistently compete against Chinas Gray Zone Operations to deter further aggression, uphold international law, support regional partners and allies, and retain the capability to transition to armed conflict if necessary. The U.S. Navy can achieve these objectives by manning and resourcing a Littoral Combat Force (LCF) that competes below the level of armed conflict to achieve the strategic ends laid out in the National Defense Strategy.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 26, 2019
Accession Number
AD1179207

Entities

People

  • Troy J. Van Zummeren

Organizations

  • Marine Corps University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Aircrafts
  • Control Systems
  • Cruise Missiles
  • Department Of Defense
  • Gray Zone
  • Humanitarian Assistance
  • Information Operations
  • International Law
  • Land Attack Missiles
  • Littoral Warfare
  • Marine Corps
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navies (Foreign)
  • Navy
  • Ships
  • South China Sea
  • United States
  • Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
  • Uss Arleigh Burke
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Irregular Warfare and Special Operations Cyberspace Operations against Adversarial Threats.
  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Systems Analysis and Design