August 11, 2020
Great Wall In Reverse: To Take Down China, Look To The Pacific's Many Islands
A few defense perimeters really are impenetrable.
by James Holmes
Here's What You Need To Remember: Message to Beijing: you can try to deny U.S. and allied forces access to the Western Pacific or the freedom to move around within the theater, but you will see your access and freedom of movement curtailed if you do.
It’s always gratifying to see your ideas take wing. Back in 2012, on a lark, Toshi Yoshihara and I broached a strategic concept we took to calling “island-chain defense,†or sometimes a “Great Wall in reverse.†Long story short, the conceit behind island-chain defense is that the United States can mold geography, land, air, and sea power, and adroit alliance management into a formidable barrier to Chinese maritime movement. Fortifying the “first island chain†that runs parallel to the mainland coastline would discourage aggression by convincing the Chinese Communist leadership aggression cannot pay.
https://nationalinterest.org/blog/reboot/great-wall-reverse-take-down-china-look-pacifics-many-islands-166628
