Skip to page content

Pacific Ocean

Report

What Would a Strategy of Restraint Mean for U.S. Security Policy?

If the United States adopted a grand strategy of restraint in the Asia-Pacific, how would its posture in the region change and how would it determine when to use force? What warfighting scenarios involving the defense of Japan could guide defense planning?

Mar 31, 2022
Blog

Gen. Charles Flynn Says Army Has Crucial Role in the Pacific Theater

What is the U.S. Army's role in an oceanic theater that spans half the globe, where China increasingly asserts itself for strategic advantage? Gen. Charles A. Flynn, head of the U.S. Army Pacific, discussed this and other topics at a recent event at RAND.

Oct 13, 2021
Commentary

The Indo-Pacific Contest: It Could be Time for Fresh Ideas on Allied Security Cooperation

U.S. and Australian interests in the Pacific and Southeast Asia face unprecedented challenges from China, and Australia may not be able to handle them on its own. Momentum is growing for heightened cooperation between Australia and the United States.

Jul 8, 2020
Report

Command and Control of Joint Air Operations in the Pacific: Methods for Comparing and Contrasting Alternative Concepts

This report recommends methods for comparing and contrasting alternative organizational concepts for command and control of joint air operations in the Pacific in different scenarios.

Jan 18, 2018
Report

People's Liberation Army Air Force Operations over Water: Maintaining Relevance in China's Changing Security Environment

The report assesses notable developments in and implications of China's emerging aerospace expeditionary and power-projection capabilities, focusing particularly on the People's Liberation Army Air Force's operations over water.

Dec 6, 2017
Journal Article

China's Aircraft Carrier Program: Drivers, Developments, Implications

This paper examines first the drivers, the operational capabilities, and then the future trajectory of China's carrier program. We evaluate the implications of the carrier program for the balance of maritime power in the western Pacific and beyond.

Jun 28, 2016
Report

Employing Land-Based Anti-Ship Missiles in the Western Pacific

This report illustrates the potential strategic advantages for the United States of a land-based anti-ship missile capability that could be deployed to the Western Pacific in the event of a conflict with China.

Nov 1, 2013
Research Brief

The Future of Sea Power in the Western Pacific

Explores the future relationship between U.S. and Chinese sea power in the context of historical sea-power rivalries and recent technological developments, and discusses the potential of pursuing maritime security cooperation in the Western Pacific.

Apr 26, 2013
Report

China's Growing Sea Power Can Be Countered by Technology, Maritime Cooperation

The United States should respond to China's increasing sea power in the Western Pacific region by exploiting technology to make its naval forces less vulnerable, while also pursuing regional maritime security cooperation that includes China.

Apr 26, 2013
People

Melissa L. Finucane

Senior Social and Behavioral Scientist
Education Ph.D. in psychology, University of Western Australia
People

Bryden Spurling

Senior Research Leader
Education Master of International and Community Development in international development, Deakin University