Dave Patterson: China Is Testing the US Indo-Pacific Defense

First and second island chain defense against China is taking shape.

As the US attempts to formulate an Indo-Pacific strategy to counter China, heeding concerns of leaders of island nations in the second island chain would be a good start. Worrying Beijing’s bullying its neighbors is a sentiment also expressed by the leadership of first island chain countries, which include Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines.

China Is Putting the US to the Test

Unlike the President Biden administration, the Trump national security team considers China more than just a “pacing challenge.” The People’s Republic of China (PRC) is a threat both economically and militarily. The aggressive naval and air operations by the PRC armed forces have created a tense atmosphere in the Indo-Pacific and particularly in the South China Sea region. War-like intrusions into the economic exclusion zones often barely skirting the territorial limits of Taiwan and the Philippines are a common occurrence. Hostile actions by the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) are not reserved for China’s neighbors exclusively. The Daily Caller observed recently:

“American and Chinese naval vessels clashed near Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea on Wednesday [Aug. 13], escalating tensions in the disputed waters, a Navy spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Caller News Foundation. China’s People’s Liberation Army accused the USS Higgins, a guided missile destroyer, of encroaching on its waters surrounding Scarborough Reef, while the Navy called the claim false and vowed to operate wherever international law allows.”

The US warship was on a routine freedom of navigation operation prompted by an engagement between two Chinese warships and the Philippine Coast Guard in the South China Sea. Such harassment has been a regular occurrence over the last several years. However, the PRC’s attempts to bully their neighbors are not limited to the South China Sea.

China is attempting to gain influence throughout the Pacific Island nations and has succeeded on many fronts. Financial extortion and military intimidation are the CCP’s preferred tools to bring Pacific Island nations into line. However, Palau, the small Pacific Islands state, is not one of them. Breaking Defense reported, “The president of Palau, the tiny Pacific Islands state that is a key section of the Second Island Chain, raised eyebrows last week with the comment that his island is ‘already at war with China’ and under ‘constant threat’ from Beijing…” One of the sticking points between Palau and the PRC is the fact that Palau’s President Surangel Whipps Jr. has economic relations with Taiwan, which makes the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) very unhappy. Again, according to Breaking Defense, Whipps explained that China “has weaponized Palau’s dependence on Chinese tourists – a dependence specifically manufactured by China itself.” Furthermore, and a more sobering prospect, Whipps revealed that Chinese land developers supported by the CCP are purchasing land adjacent to US facilities that have strategic value in the region. That is a tangible threat and one duplicated wherever the US and China have a presence in the same foreign country.

While China is clearly a growing and existential threat in the Indo-Pacific, the US is not sitting on its hands. The US has made the Indo-Pacific a strategic priority by enhancing military infrastructure, coupled with sturdier regional alliances. US initiatives in the region also include conducting combined exercises with regional militaries positioned in the first island chain (a frontline bulwark against China) and the second island chain (Guam, Palau, and the Northern Mariana Islands, a necessary strategic fallback for power projection). Congress recognizes the expanding PRC presence in the first and second island chains as perilous and has appropriated $9.9 billion in the FY 2025 funding bill for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI).

Japan And Philippines Most Vulnerable

The first island chain, because of its geographic proximity to China, is the most vulnerable to CCP intimidation. Consequently, the US is increasing rotational deployments and enhanced access to military bases, particularly in the Philippines, for prepositioning of equipment and weapons. In Japan, the US has improved its command-and-control integration with the Japan Self-Defense Force. The second island chain is getting some much overdue attention as well. The US is spending over $916 million from FY 2024 PDI funding to fortify Guam and adjacent bases. To establish a greater US military presence, negotiations are underway. Efforts to expand US influence include air and missile defense units on Palau and other sites in Micronesia to defend against

People’s Liberation Army strikes.

China is persistent in its desire to establish a growing presence among the first and second island chains to diminish the US influence. The PRC’s stated objective is to eliminate the US as an economic and military presence in the Indo-Pacific. Beijing uses every opportunity to test America’s resolve and resilience in the region. The US shift in strategic priorities, placing greater emphasis on the Indo-Pacific, is growing evidence that America is up for the test.

Dave is a retired U.S. Air Force Pilot with over 180 combat missions in Vietnam. He is the former Principal Deputy Under Secretary of Defense, Comptroller and has served in executive positions in the private sector aerospace and defense industry. This article was first published HERE