Resurrecting the First Fleet for Great Power Competition

<p>As the Chinese Navy has rapidly grown, so too has its Coast Guard and Maritime Militia. This places added stress on the U.S. Navy to uphold a rules-based order, while our regional partners struggle to secure their own waters.</p><p>Last November, the Secretary of the Navy sought to address this by resurrecting the defunct First Fleet and basing it at the crossroads of the Indo-Pacific. One would be forgiven in assuming the idea passed with the outgoing administration, but the facts on the ocean have made the idea a continuing priority. The Biden Administration’s recently-released interim national security strategic guidance makes a strong case for enhancing existing alliances and seeking new partners in the contest with China, and the Commander of the Pacific Fleet recently acknowledged an ongoing review of the idea.</p><p>As the season for a new South China Sea crisis approaches, there is no better person to assess the idea of a new First Fleet than the man who suggested it in the first place—Ambassador Kenneth Braithwaite, the 77th Secretary of the Navy.</p><br /><hr><p style='color:grey; font-size:0.75em;'> See <a style='color:grey;' target='_blank' rel='noopener noreferrer' href='https://acast.com/privacy'>acast.com/privacy</a> for privacy and opt-out information.</p>