America’s Security Role in the South China Sea

Allow me to share my assessment of the current situation in the South China Sea, followed by my recommendations concerning how the U.S. government should understand the situation and how it may best work to address it

Japan’s Sea Lane Security, 1940–2004: A Matter of Life and Death?

As the first English-language analysis of its kind, Graham’s comprehensive case study fills a critical gap in the literature concerning the maritime dimension of Japanese national security. This is an exciting issue at a dynamic time: in October 2004, Japan’s Maritime Self- Defense Force (MSDF) and coast guard led Northeast Asia’s first Proliferation Security Initiative exercise. In the In- dian Ocean, the MSDF is currently fuel- ling allied vessels to support operations in Afghanistan. Meanwhile, Japan is struggling to assert control over its ex- clusive economic zones, the boundaries of which are increasingly contested by China and South Korea

Alien Registration- Erickson, Andrew S. (Bath, Sagadahoc County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/9521/thumbnail.jp

Assessing the New U.S. Maritime Strategy—A Window into Chinese Thinking

Chinese reactions to the U.S. Navy’s new maritime strategy provide a window into a larger strategic dynamic—not just in East Asia, where China is already developing as a great power, but globally, where it has the potential to play a major role as well. Three unofficial Chinese articles seem particularly useful for assessing those reactions

The Impact of Chinese Naval Modernizationand the Future of the United States Navy

Well written, succinct, and timely, this balanced assessment of Chinese naval weaknesses and strengths offers specific technological development and pro- curement alternatives to inform Washington’s decision making. O’Rourke is a naval issues analyst for the Congres- sional Research Service (CRS) of the Li- brary of Congress. Specialists will want to consult his related product, China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities—Background and Issues for Congress. First published in November 2006, the latter report has been updated regularly. Each report contains details that the other does not

The Science of Military Strategy,

This first English-language volume on strategy by China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) was translated by a team of experts at the Academy of Military Sci- ences from the original Chinese-language version (Zhanlüexue, 2001). Edited by two major generals with significant ability to shape PLA strategy as advisers to China’s powerful Central Military Commission (CMC) and Politburo Standing Committee, this volume un- doubtedly reflects elements of critical policy trends in Beijing and hence merits close examination by foreign researchers and policy makers. Since this book has deliberately been made accessible to an overseas audience, it is im- portant to reflect on what message its English-language publication may be intended to convey

Why Taiwan? Geostrategic Rationales for China’s Territorial Integrity, by Alan M. Wachman

Tufts Fletcher School professor Alan Wachman was a giant in the China, East Asian studies, and international rela- tions field who remains sorely missed following his untimely death in 2012. In what is widely considered one of his major scholarly contributions, through this pithy, well-researched book—rightly considered a classic—Wachman engages in exceptional interdisciplinary analysis to offer provocative coverage of historical episodes that have shaped Taiwan’s status fundamentally. Some events raise penetrating questions about what might have resulted had they ended differently; other factors inspire critical questions about East Asia’s future

China Maritime Report No. 1: China’s Third Sea Force, The People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia: Tethered to the PLA

Amid growing awareness that China’s Maritime Militia acts as a Third Sea Force which has been involved in international sea incidents, it is necessary for decision-makers who may face such contingencies to understand the Maritime Militia’s role in China’s armed forces. Chinese-language open sources reveal a tremendous amount about Maritime Militia activities, both in coordination with and independent of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA). Using well-documented evidence from the authors’ extensive open source research, this report seeks to clarify the Maritime Militia’s exact identity, organization, and connection to the PLA as a reserve force that plays a parallel and supporting role to the PLA. Despite being a separate component of China’s People’s Armed Forces (PAF), the militia are organized and commanded directly by the PLA’s local military commands. The militia’s status as a separate non-PLA force whose units act as “helpers of the PLA” (解放军的 助手) is further reflected in China’s practice of carrying out “joint military, law enforcement, and civilian [Navy-Maritime Law Enforcement-Maritime Militia] defense” (军警民联防). To more accurately capture the identity of the Maritime Militia, the authors propose referring to these irregular forces as the “People’s Armed Forces Maritime Militia” (PAFMM).https://digital-commons.usnwc.edu/cmsi-maritime-reports/1000/thumbnail.jp