One island chain, three playbooks, and a game that could go wrong fast.
A Chinese Coast Guard ship fires a water cannon at a Philippine Navy chartered vessel, conducting a routine resupply mission to troops stationed at Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea, on March 5, 2024. Ezra Acayan/Getty Images
The Filipino sailor standing watch on the rusted BRP Sierra Madre, a World War II-era landing ship grounded on Second Thomas Shoal, doesn’t think in strategy papers. He thinks about staying upright when a China Coast Guard ship swings a high-pressure water cannon toward his bridge.
Charles Davis
Author
Charles Davis is a military veteran and lecturer with an intelligence background. His military awards include: two Bronze Star Service Medals, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two Meritorious Service Medals, NATO Service Medal, Iraq Campaign Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Saudi Arabia Liberation Medal, and Kuwait Liberation Medal.
