《Air-Sea Battle》.pdf

Air-Sea Battle, China, and the U.S. Rebalance to Asia A Center for National Policy Publication by Daniel M. Hartnett i November 2013 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This policy paper describes a potential disconnect between U.S. military efforts to maintain freedom of access in support of U.S. global interests and the U.S. foreign policy objective to rebalance to Asia. In order to overcome “anti-access” challenges to its ability to project power, the U.S. military is developing the Air-Sea Battle concept. As a concept of operations, Air-Sea Battle posits the value of attacking and destroying—preemptively if possible—an opponent’s targeting, command, and weapons systems wherever they are located in order to disrupt the opponent’s ability to hinder U.S. military operations. However, while Air-Sea Battle agnostically seeks to defeat anti-access challenges around the globe, with no particular country or region in mind, it may be undermining U.S. foreign policy objectives in Asia. In particular, despite repeated official U.S. denials to the contrary, the concept continues to be seen as a military strategy to attack China. Should this belief solidify among the Chinese leadership, it could complicate U.S. efforts to improve relations with China—a key pillar of the U.S. rebalance to Asia. In addition, it could result in an unnecessary and costly arms race between the United States and China. In order to prevent that from occurring, the United States should consider the following recommendations: Conduct a senior-level policy review to determine whether Air-Sea Battle supports or undermines the U.S. rebalance to Asia. This review should include both the Executive branch and Congress. Those conducting the evaluation should not only include military experts, but also those responsible for U.S. foreign policy. Evaluate the necessity for preemptive and offensive operations to counter anti-access capabilities. Any review of Air-Sea Battle should investigate the conc