A new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea in the Indo-Pacific
Competition at sea is once again a central issue of international security. Nowhere is the urgency to address state-on-state competition at sea more strongly felt than in the Indo-Pacific region, where freedom of navigation is challenged by regional states’ continuous investments in naval power, and the renewed political will to use it to undermine its principles.
The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific provides an original framework in which five “factors of influence” explain how and why naval power matters in this pivotal part of the world. An international group of contributors make the case that these five factors draw upon a longstanding influence of naval power on regional dynamics and impact the extent to which different states in the region use naval power: the capacity to exert control over sea-lanes, the capacity to deploy a nuclear deterrent at sea, the capacity to implement the law of the sea in an advantageous way, the ability to control marine resources, and the capacity for technological innovation.
The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific offers a fresh approach for academics and policy makers seeking to navigate the complexity of maritime security and regional affairs.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Foreword: Vice Adm. Anne Rondeau, (USN, Ret.)
Acknowledgments
List of Acronyms
1. Naval Power and a Framework for Regional Security in the Indo-Pacific
Alessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. Grant
Part I: The Factors of Influence in Indo-Pacific Security
2. Geopolitics and Strategic Geography in Sino-US Competition
Christopher Twomey
3. Law, Order, and Maritime (In)Stability
Peter Dutton
4. Maritime Resources and Regional Competition
Clive Schofield
5. Nuclear Order at Sea
Nicola Leveringhaus
6. Technology, Escalation, and War in the Indo-Pacific
James A. Russell
Part II: Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific as History
7. Asian States and Early Imperial Competition in the Indian Ocean
Ryan Gingeras
8. The “Problem of Asia” and Imperial Competition before WWI
Richard Dunley
9. The Far East Between the World Wars
Daniel Moran
10. Superpower Rivalry and the Strategic Balance in the Cold War
Kevin Rowlands
Part III: Naval Power and Contemporary Security in the Indo-Pacific
11. Northeast Asia
Ian Bowers
12. East and South China Seas
Alessio Patalano and Julie Marionneau
13. The Taiwan Strait
Sheryn Lee
14. South Pacific
James Goldrick
15. Indian Ocean
James Wirtz and Abhijit Singh
Conclusions: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security in the Indo-Pacific
Alessio Patalano, James A. Russell, and Catherine L. Grant
Index
List of Contributors
Reviews
"Naval power in the Indo-Pacific is crucial to global stability in the twenty-first century: it's a strong argument, but one comprehensively elaborated in this indispensable book. The editors have assembled a fleet of leading international experts to survey all aspects of naval power as a critical tool of statecraft in keeping the world's most consequential region secure. This work stands apart in making sense of the complexity of the challenge, explaining the intersections of geography, history, transnational risks, hard power, and technology. This will be an enduring resource for maritime security practitioners and scholars alike."—Rory Medcalf, professor and head of the National Security College, Australian National University, and author of Indo-Pacific Empire,
"This timely and impressive collection articulates clearly and persuasively why the maritime is central to national sovereignty, regional order, and international security. Individually and collectively, the essays make an outstanding contribution to our understanding of naval strategies across the different states and maritime domains of the Indo-Pacific."—Rebecca Strating, associate professor and director, La Trobe Asia,
"This edited volume on an extremely timely topic contains an excellently structured collection of studies by some of the world’s leading naval thinkers. Analyzing challenges of naval strategy, history, technology, and maritime geography in the Indo-Pacific region, the volume provides a 360-degree view of the grave challenges to come."—Sarah Kirchberger, head of Asia-Pacific Strategy & Security, Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University,
"An impressively timely contribution to our military strategy debates with respect to dealing with Chinese naval aggression in the Indo-Pacific, a new framework contextualizes crucial international security issues at sea."—Midwest Book Review
"The New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific is a most incisive and valuable study, defining maritime power as a control feature of regional security. The book's contributors provide a comprehensive macro-overview with interlinked sub-regional analyses."—Australian Naval Institute
About the Author
Catherine L. Grant is a former research associate at the Naval Postgraduate School and a graduate of the master’s program at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies.
Alessio Patalano is a professor in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London.
James A. Russell is an associate professor in the Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School.
