Assessing the Soviet Naval Build-Up in Southeast Asia: Threats to Regional Security

Abstract

This report analyzes the stark security challenges confronting ASEAN and China as a result of the substantial and continuous strengthening of Soviet naval capability in the Asia-Pacific. The report discusses the commanding coercive benefits accruing to Moscow from the Soviet Union's successful geo-strategic leapfrog to naval and air facilities at Cam Ranh Bay and Da Nang in Vietnam. Overall, this analysis concludes that the major objectives of the Soviet naval buildup in the region are to compel Southeast Asia governments to accommodate Soviet foreign policy goals and to raise concerns in the region about the wisdom of close association with the U.S. The report calls for enhanced naval cooperation and defense-sharing between the U.S. and ASEAN in order to provide the requisite regional maritime security to counter Soviet threats.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 1988
Accession Number
ADA201291

Entities

People

  • David Winterford

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

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

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Antisubmarine Aircraft
  • Attack Submarines
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Deployment
  • Governments
  • Guided Missiles
  • Military History
  • National Security
  • Naval Operations
  • Naval Warfare
  • Navy
  • Southeast Asia
  • United States
  • United States Military Academy
  • United States Naval Academy
  • Warfare

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Economics
  • Maritime and Naval Warfare Studies