CONTAINING THE DRAGON

A Military Strategy to 

Deter China  Links checked 8/21/2015

By T.X. Hammes as published in the December 1, 2013 issue of REAL CLEAR DEFENSE: http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2013/12/01/a_military_strategy_to_deter_china_106987.html





U.S. DoD photo by Linda D. Kozaryn (PD)

 We recently came across this article in REAL CLEAR DEFENSE a national policy blog or website. We were amazed by some of the parallels between this very detailed plan and the thoughts of our own NAMAZU on the subject. Both the author T.X. Hammes and our own Giant Catfish think the battle is won or lost at the first island chain. Both are against any attempt to invade mainland China or destroy or damage mainland infrastructure. Both want to keep the action naval and conventional in character. So both place emphasis on defense and area denial  of the contested islands and the mainland territories of China's long suffering neighbors.

 T.X. Hammes departs from the Namazu plan in that he doesn't mention the economic blow of suspending or permanently denying payment to China of U.S. debt until the end of hostilities. But we think that  Namazu's suggestion fits in well with the general theme of the plan which is to damage China's economy seriously enough that the Dragon backs off on its plan to steal its neighbor's islands and related Exclusive Economic Zones while it is still in a position to recover and resume economic growth. Since both plans don't require the invasion of the Mainland, the Chinese authorities are able to end the war declaring that they have "taught the enemy a lesson", and announcing that they are going to lead the way in joint development. It is not even required that we sink the entire Dragon fleet. We find it interesting as always, to note that top defense, security, and economic writers so often come up with articles that parallel so many ideas that the Giant Catfish articulates months before the general media pays any attention to the issues he writes about. You wonder how such wisdom could come out of a head that looks like this : 
:  But then being 3,000 years old probably does fill one's head with unique insights. To read the insights of Mr. TX HAMMES click on the link below:

 http://www.realcleardefense.com/articles/2013/12/01/a_military_strategy_to_deter_china_106987.html

For Namazu's View Click on the link below:

http://americanadmiraltybooks.blogspot.com/2013/08/lets-not-get-sun-tzued-by-dragon.html

FOR BACKGROUND READING: