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Maritime Security in the Asia-Pacific

A Navigational Map for the New U.S. Administration

Task Force 2017

Maritime Security in the Asia-Pacific Task Force group
Maritime Security in the Asia Pacific Task Force report 2017

Evaluator

Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert

30th Chief of Naval Operations (Ret.) John M. Shalikashvili Chair in National Security Studies, The National Bureau of Asian Research

Faculty Adviser

Tabitha Grace Mallory

Tabitha Grace Mallory

Affiliate Professor

Task Force

  • Dewi Ali
  • Megan Condon
  • Stephen Cuplin
  • Bruno Fiorentini
  • Min Seung Kim
  • Ruomi Li
  • Tyler Lincoln
  • Yingshi Liu
  • Adam Khan
  • Helen Lui
  • Jessica Soonsoo Park
  • Yinong Su
  • Haley Ann Plamondon
  • Yue Cassie Xing
  • Nanpeng Zhu

MARITIME SECURITY IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC ENTAILS “TRADITIONAL” SECURITY CONCERNS OVER NAVAL POWER, AND “NON-TRADITIONAL” SECURITY ISSUES LIKE PIRACY, CLIMATE CHANGE AND FISHERIES DEPLETION. THIS TASK FORCE EVALUATES POLICY OPTIONS FOR A COMPREHENSIVE MARITIME STRATEGY FOR U.S. LEADERSHIP.

ISSUE  DESCRIPTION

Diplomacy

  • U.S. leadership plays a central role in upholding a rules-based maritime order in the Asia-Pacific.
  • While U.S. alliances still anchor U.S. presence in the region, regional organizations like ASEAN provide a framework for increased U.S. engagement.
  • U.S. partnership with India and Vietnam present opportunities for deeper cooperation; China, Russia, and the Korean Peninsula pose strategic challenges.

Military Security

  • Naval modernization in the Asia-Pacific region has led to a security dilemma.
  • Destabilizing incidents involving naval forces, civilian patrols, and non-state actors heighten tensions amid uncertainty about strategic intentions.
  • North Korea’s actions and the U.S.-ROK THAAD response add a worrisome security dimension to a region that already has several nuclear powers.

Economy

  • Nearly 30 percent of U.S. trade is with the Asia-Pacific, and thus U.S. economic prosperity is tied to that of Asian states.
  • Threats to safe shipping routes, environmental degradation and resource scarcity dampen the commercial dynamism of the region.
  • China’s economic leadership through its own regional initiatives, against a backdrop of potential U.S. economic retreat, risks Chinese economic dominance in the Asia-Pacific.

 

POLICY RECOMMENDATIONS

  • Ratify UNCLOS to enhance U.S. legitimacy in maintaining a rules-based maritime order in the region.
  • Promote the creation of a multilateral trade agreement that preserves the TPP’s goal of free and fair trade while also underscoring U.S. strategic engagement in the Asia-Pacific.
  • Cooperate with regional actors on non-traditional security issues such as maritime crime and the sustainable management of the marine environment and natural resources.
  • Help regional allies and partners develop military readiness to assume more regional security responsibility.
  • Continue U.S. FONOPs, encourage regional states to conduct their FONOPs, and consider multilateral FONOPs.
  • Expand and improve maritime communications protocols.
  • Conduct joint military exercises with regional partners in order to improve cooperation.
  • Seek cooperation with China on non-contentious initiatives to foster mutual trust.
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