US Naval War College's Tangredi on Deterring China, A2AD, Aircraft Carriers

Capt. Sam Tangredi, PhD, USN Ret., a US Naval War College professor, discusses the importance of deterring China, how the US can use anti-access area denial (or A2AD) to gain strategic control in the South China Sea, aircraft carriers' significance to the US Navy and more during a February 2018 interview with Defense & Aerospace Report Editor Vago Muradian at the AFCEA International/USNI WEST 2018 conference in San Diego. Our coverage was sponsored by Leonardo DRS.

[@holographicsteve7338]

Yet another exceptionally interesting and thought-provoking interview.

[@peteryeng]

I'm surprised this has not received more views and likes. I find this substantive and well thought out.

[@srdxxx]

Interesting interview. A few points concerning China. When he says that China has a2ad now in the SCS, I assume he means mainly from shore installations, since I don't think the islands would last 20 minutes if a shooting war started. Second, if he is correct, that China can close off the SCS to us, but we can also close it to them, then it is worth mentioning that that forms a blockade, and they have lost, unless they escalate to nuclear. The Chinese economy is greatly dependent on trade. Close the SCS, and you only have to wait them out, which will admittedly be hard on the other economies in the region. Lastly, about the Chinese economy itself, of course it is too complex a subject to be covered in a few questions, but I think it's much more fragile...rather, the CCP hold over the people through the economy is more fragile than Captain Tangredi believes. When they have successfully weathered their first recession, I might reconsider. Until then, people have been saying improved standards of living and contact with the West will lead to increased democracy for a long time now.

[@Amidat]

China is not Iraq or Afghanistan... That is their backyard... It's certainly not as easy as you think.

[@watchthe1369]

Yeah, I would tends to agree, they import a crap ton of food and drink petroleum like a thirsty Irishman does whisky. A few CBU's done right on the tips of missiles turns those installations into expensive bricks with no sensors. After that you put their tankers and cargo on hold in the Indian Ocean and the food on hold in the far South and Hawaiian Pacific and wait. No need to risk ships really. We have already begun moving the Taiwanese microchip capabilities back onshore and to other countries, so that doesn't matter. If the CCP gets too agressive they will get kung fu'ed by their own people and China goes back to the 1900's, little more than a placeholder name on a map.

[@Amidat]

there was an agreement to share resources in the SCS... who was behind stopping that?

[@Erik-rp1hi]

My uninformed 2 cents, Long range cruise missiles, like locust at the onset of an attack against well eyed and accountable targets. I do not think we have enough but we have a good share of B-52's to load out.

[@TonyRios]

someone like Sam Tangredi should be president

[@georgesiew2758]

Great analysis except when it comes to politics. Us thinkers have a completely ignorant understanding of Chinese politics and society. If you want to understand the CCP you have to understand them from the Chinese point of view. Confucian societies operate through forming dominant majorities and then imposing oppressive majority rule. The CCP is the majority and has as much social support as any government can have in the world. If anything the population prefers much higher levels of military investment and much more aggressive military stances than the CCP.