Alliances and U.S. Sea Power in the Asia Pacific

• In Event: Great Power Rivalry: Challenges and Adaptive Strategies in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

China has made great strides in modernizing its navy, challenging US sea power in the Asia-Pacific. The United States seeks to maintain regional security and the existing balance of power in the Asia Pacific by engaging in collaborative naval diplomacy and coalition building with allies and friends in the region. This paper analyzes interactions between the US Navy and naval colleagues in the Asia Pacific ranging from highly organized multinational exercises bi-lateral military exercises and informal gatherings, to port calls and coordinated responses to humanitarian crisis. This paper posits that US naval diplomacy and coalition building reduces the risk of military conflict between China and the United States by forming a credible deterrent to Chinese naval aggression. It seeks to answer the following questions: Does naval diplomacy pose a credible deterrent to China’s naval aggression? Has US naval diplomacy resulted in naval coalition building in the Asia Pacific? Has US naval diplomacy reassured allied and friends of Washington’s commitment to the security of the region? This paper analyzes US naval diplomacy and coalition building with allies and friends in the Asia Pacific in an effort to maintain regional security in the face of an increasingly aggressive China.

Author

• Elizabeth Freund Larus, University of Mary Washington