Thread by @AndrewSErickson

“Andrew Erickson, a maritime militia expert @NavalWarCollege, recently called for the US to “deal with China’s sea forces holistically” & state clearly that it expected China’s #Navy, #CoastGuard & #MaritimeMilitia to follow international rules.” ft.com/content/ab4b16… #PAFMM

“He added that the US had to ‘accept some friction and force Beijing to choose between de-escalating — the preferred US outcome — or to move up against a US red line that China would prefer to avoid’.” amp.ft.com/content/ab4b16…

"The US navy has been conducting FONOPS..sends warships through disputed waters to prevent a claimant from denying others access in violation of int'l law. Analysts have long pushed for a more effective US response to counter China’s mix of mil, paramil & econ coercive measures."

LONG OVERDUE BUT GREAT NEWS!!!

"The US has warned China that it will respond to provocative acts by its coast guard & fishing boats in the same way it reacts to the Chinese navy in an effort to curb Beijing’s aggressive behaviour in the #SouthChinaSea."

ft.com/content/ab4b16…

"ADM Richardson, head of the US navy, said he told his Chinese counterpart, VADM Shen Jinlong, in January that Washington would not treat the #CoastGuard or #MaritimeMilitia..differently from the Chinese navy, because they were being used to advance Beijing’s military ambitions."

“I made it very CLEAR that the US navy will NOT be coerced & will continue to conduct routine & lawful operations around the world, in order to protect the rights, freedoms & lawful uses of sea & airspace GUARANTEED to all,” Admiral Richardson told @FT.

ft.com/content/ab4b16…

@FT "In...incidents involving the US, Vietnam & the Philippines, Chinese fishing boats have rammed vessels, blocked access to lagoons, harassed ships & been involved in the seizing of reefs & shoals."

COMPLETE INFORMATION ON #MARITIMEMILITIA OPERATIONS HERE:

andrewerickson.com/2019/04/the-ch…

@FT "#MaritimeMilitia has been strengthened since 2015, when it created a headquarters in the #China-administered Paracel Islands, a disputed area in the #SouthChinaSea that is also claimed by Vietnam & Taiwan. It has also received training alongside the Chinese #Navy & #CoastGuard."

@FT "In its last annual report on the Chinese military, the Pentagon said the fleet 'plays a major role in coercive activities to achieve China’s political goals w/o fighting.' #China has increasingly used the MM because fishing boats are less likely to prompt a military response..."

@FT "But the latest #warning significantly raises the stakes for #China’s non-#navy vessels engaging in aggressive acts. @stavridisj, a retired US admiral who also served as commander of #NATO forces, said @CNORichardson was right to have delivered the tough message to the #Chinese."

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson “It is a warning shot across the bow of China, in effect saying we will not tolerate ‘#GrayZone’ or ‘hybrid’ operations at sea,” said Mr Stavridis. “A combatant is a combatant is the message & the CNO (Chief of Naval Operations) is in the right place to warn China early & often.”

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson .@BonnieGlaser: “By injecting greater uncertainty about how the US will respond to China’s grey-zone #coercion, the US hopes to deter Chinese destabilising #maritime behaviour, including its reliance on #CoastGuard & #MaritimeMilitia vessels to intimidate its smaller neighbours.”

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson @BonnieGlaser "@willschoong @IISS_org..said the #MaritimeMilitia gave the People’s Liberation Army #Navy an 'additional military arm' to help enforce Beijing’s stranglehold on the #SouthChinaSea."
ft.com/content/ab4b16…

It's part of China's Armed Forces & operates under PLA chain of command!

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson @BonnieGlaser @willschoong @IISS_org "The US #warning also affects the Chinese #CoastGuard. Dennis Wilder, a former head of China analysis @CIA, said President #Xi Jinping put the coast guard under the control of the Central Military Commission in 2018."
ft.com/content/ab4b16…
@dennisw5 @Georgetown #MaritimeMilitia

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson @BonnieGlaser @willschoong @IISS_org @CIA @dennisw5 @Georgetown “By having both the #Navy & the #CoastGuard under the CMC, it improves in wartime the co-ordination & control of #maritime forces. As China’s coast guard is heavily armed, it is a logical assumption that it would be incorporated into #military plans & operations.”

--@dennisw5

@FT @stavridisj @CNORichardson @BonnieGlaser @willschoong @IISS_org @CIA @dennisw5 @Georgetown For further information, please see the new @NavalInstitute @USNIBooks volume I coedited with @rdmartinson88 @NavalWarCollege @ChinaMaritime Studies Institute: amazon.com/Maritime-Opera…

And also the continually updated #China #MaritimeMilitia Bookshelf: andrewerickson.com/2019/04/the-ch…