South Korea as a Power-Projection Platform and Chinese Views of U.S. Presence

How do the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) view U.S. military forces in the Indo-Pacific region? Within this broader strategic context, what impact does the specific U.S. military force presence in South Korea—acting as a potential power-projection platform—have on a PRC crisis or contingency response?

• Alves, Capt. Brent A., "Taiwanese Sovereignty & The United States' Strategic Deterrence of China," SOS AUAR 2021 (ISR section), 11 pgs.
• Arnall, Maj. Josh, "You Can Not Deter a Peer Threat" Air Force Fellow Paper, 2022, 2 pgs. 
• Bishop, Dalene, "China's Claim to the South China Sea: Legal Legitimacy, Historical Justifications and Geopolitical Implications," AFGC thesis, 2025, 41 pgs. 
  • Bishop explains that China views U.S. military forces—specifically Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) conducted by the U.S. Navy—as provocations and direct threats to its sovereignty. When the U.S. sails through contested waters to assert international maritime rights, China routinely protests, shadows the U.S. ships using the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) or Coast Guard, and utilizes these encounters to reinforce domestic political narratives that China is facing "foreign encirclement".
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• Carignan, Joseph, "Asymmetric or Stupid:* The Case against War with China over Taiwan," AWC PSP, 2022, 35 pgs.
• Cobbins, Capt. Natalia K.. "Taiwanese Sovereignty & the United States' Assurance and Dissuation Alliance to Combat Chinese Use of Force," SOS AUAR elective paper, 2021, 11 pgs.
• Giroux, Maj. Jason, "Asian Middle Powers: Implications for United States Military Planning," ACSC Elective Paper, 2021, 4 pgs.
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• Jones, Capt. Michael, "Gray Zone Conflict in Space: A South China Sea Case Study," SOS AUAR (Ideas and Weapons), 2020, 11 pgs.
• Marek, CDR Jon, "US-China International Law Disputes in the South China Sea and East China Sea," AWC elective paper (National Security Law), 2020, 10 pgs.
• Molinari, Maj. Joslyn, "US Force Posture in Asia: Challenged by China's Rise," ACSC elective Paper, 2020, 15 pgs.

• Moore, Lt. Col. Tytonia S., "The Paradox of the China Threat," AWC Strategic Studies paper, 2019, 26 pgs. 

• Nolan, Capt. James W., "Strategic Deterrence and Taiwan's Sovereignty," SOS AUAR elective paper, 2021, 12 pgs.

• Phan, Tiffany M., "Limitations of Taiwan's Satellite Capabilities in a China-Taiwan Conflict," SOS AUAR elective paper, 2021, 11 pgs.

• Somers, Col. Paul, "The Fight for Territorial Legitimacy within the South China Sea--How China's Militarization Could Shape the Future of the Region," Air Force Fellows paper, 2021, 28 pgs.

• Staats, Maj. Benjamin, "How An Openness Grand Strategy with Missiles Can Deter Chinese Aggression," ACSC elective paper (The Asia Rebalance in US Strategy), 2020, 18 pgs.

• Tomlinson, Capt. Jennifer, "Defining Political Sovereignty: The Perspective of Taiwan," SOS AUAR elective paper, 2021, 8 pgs.

• Tonner-Robinson, Maj. Megan, Maj. Benjamin Johnson and Maj. Zachary Mason, "Preparing the Battlespace: The Potential for Conventional War between the US and China," ACSC paper, 2021, 14 pgs.

  • ​Published on Wild Blue Yonder, 5 January 2022. 

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• Waldrip, Erik, "Has the Ukraine War Influenced China's Calculus for an Invasion of Taiwan?" GCPME thesis, 2024, 48 pgs. 

• Wallis, Maj. Alex M., "Challenging Command Seeking Control: Evaluating the USAF's Current C2 System Assumptions and Posture in the South China Sea," OLMP thesis, GCPME, 2021, 45 pgs. 

• Walsh, Capt. Jeffrey D., "Chinese Irregular Warfare," SOS AUAR elective paper, 2021, 7 pgs.

• Wielert, Maj. Corey, "Slicing the Chinese Salami: Binding Engagement and International Law in the South China Sea," ACSC elective paper (Asia Rebalance in US Strategy), 2020, 14 pgs.