Barrow Fellows 2020
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The inaugural Barrow Fellows publication seeks to explore and understand China’s role in world affairs as it relates to strategic competition with the United States. Developed and produced by the Brute Krulak Center for Innovation and Creativity BARROW FELLOWS 2020 Understanding US – China Relations 1 Barrow Fellowship Mission & General Barrow’s Biography The General Robert H. Barrow Fellowship seeks to explore and understand different aspects of security and strategy as it relates to great power competition. For this inaugural school year (2019-2020), the Barrow Fellows examined US-China strategic competition. General Robert H. Barrow, 27th Commandant of the Marine Corps, was born on 5 February 1922 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Lieutenant Barrow subsequently served as Officer-in-Charge of an American team attached to a group of Chinese Nationalist guerrillas. He entered China via India, and after many months of operations along the periphery of the area held by the Japanese in central China, his team entered Japanese occupied territory and conducted intensive guerrilla operations for the last seven months of World War II. For this service, he was awarded the Bronze Star Medal with Combat “V.” After the war, Lieutenant Barrow remained in China for another year, six months of which was spent in Shanghai and six months in the Tientsin-Peking area. During the Korean War, he led Company A, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, in the Inchon- Seoul operation, and the Chosin Reservoir campaign. For the latter, he was awarded the Navy Cross for holding a pass near Koto-ri on 9-10 December 1950. Colonel Barrow graduated from the National War College in June 1968. He then served in the Republic of Vietnam, as Commanding Officer, 9th Marines, 3d Marine Division (Rein), and as Deputy G-3, III Marine Amphibious Force. During the nine months he served as Commanding Officer of the 9th Marines, his regiment participated in numerous combat actions in the vicinity of the DMZ, Khe Sanh, Da Krong Valley, and A Shau Valley. For extraordinary heroism in Operation Dewey Canyon, he was awarded the Army Distinguished Service Cross. After promotion to brigadier general, he served as Commanding General at Camp Butler, Okinawa. On further promotion to major general, he became Commanding General, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, Parris Island. He was promoted to lieutenant general in 1975 and assigned to Headquarters Marine Corps as Deputy Chief of Staff for Manpower. In 1976, he was named Commanding General, FMF, Atlantic, at Norfolk, VA. General Barrow became the Assistant Commandant of the Marine Corps in July 1978, so serving until appointed the Corps' Commandant on 1 July 1979. 2 General Barrow was the first Commandant to serve, by law, a regular four-year tour as a full member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was instrumental in acquiring approval of production for the Marine Corps of the American-modified Harrier aircraft, in awakening interest in new and improved naval gunfire support, in getting amphibious ships included in the Navy's new construction programs, and in returning hospital ships to the fleet, especially on station with Marine Corps amphibious task forces. General Barrow retired as Commandant on 30 June 1983 and returned to his native state of Louisiana. Upon retirement, he was presented with the Distinguished Service Medal. The fellowship was aptly named after General Robert H. Barrow, who served as a China Marine during World War II and afterward while on occupation duty. He focused on examining non-military aspects of China’s international relations critical to understanding its role and place in the world today. The General Robert H. Barrow Fellowship intends to increase the collective understanding of China’s role in world affairs as it relates to strategic competition with the United States. Given the recent national return to great power competition, it is increasingly necessary for US military service members to holistically understand our competitors beyond a single military dimension. This fellowship aimed to expose members to academic scholars, intelligence community professionals, and other individuals with regional-area expertise within the National Capital Region who have unique insights into US strategic competitors. For this pilot iteration of the Barrow Fellows at Marine Corps University, we ask the question: “In addition to military matters, what aspects of US-China great power competition should US service members strive to understand?” 3 Contents Barrow Fellowship Mission & General Barrow’s Biography ............................................................................................ 2 From the Director ................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 Barrow Fellowship 2019-2020 Guest Speakers ..................................................................................................................... 6 A Strategic Interface: Reestablishing the Logical Relationship between Tactics and Politics............................ 7 Orienting on The Orient ................................................................................................................................................................. 11 DIME: Not Just an Acronym .......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Trial and Error at The Dawn of a New Era: An Examination of American Strategy in the Era of Great Power Competition and How the United States Can Ensure Long-Term Global Stability................................. 25 Defending Space – Challenges to U.S. National Interests in an Era of Great Power Competition .................. 33 Rise to Global Power: Visualizing China’s Strategic Engagement Efforts ................................................................. 41 Key Terrain, Naval Integration, and Distributed Operations: Making Sense of The Future Operating Environment ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 54 The Character of Chinese Influence in 2020: OBOR’s Economic Coercion .............................................................. 67 The Five Incapables Through The Lens of Covid-19: What China’s Pandemic Response Illuminates About Control and Command in Times of National Crisis ............................................................................................................ 74 A Cognitive Domain of Warfare: The Intellectual Competition Between the US and China ............................. 83 Cyberspace Operations in the South China Sea ................................................................................................................... 89 US Great Power Competition and China: Heavy on Effort but Thin on Vision ....................................................... 98 Founding Members ....................................................................................................................................................................... 103 Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the organizations for which they work, Marine Corps University, the U.S. Marine Corps, the Department of the Navy, or the U.S. government. The information contained in this book was accurate at the time of printing. 4 From the Director As an organization, the Marine Corps has acknowledged the importance of understanding foreign languages and cultures, and so since 2012, it has implemented a regional culture and language familiarization program for all new officers and enlisted Marines. Instead of an across-the-board application of culture and foreign language learning, a more targeted approach might be more effective. To this end, the General Robert H. Barrow Fellowship for Strategic Competition was established for the 2019-20 academic year through the KC. The fellowship is a new way to provide exposure to a broad spectrum of viewpoints about the strategic environment to students enrolled across the continuum of professional military education schools at Quantico to help supplement and deepen learning about near-peer competitors, like China, for participants in the program. In its inaugural year, the fellowship, named for the Corps’ 27th commandant who served as a China Marine during the Second World War and then afterward while on occupation duty, focused on examining non-military aspects of China’s international relations critical to understanding its role and place in the world today. The fellowship program consists of a robust guest speaker program, guided discussions, question and answer sessions with experts on great power competition, and a writing project. During the nine monthly sessions, fellows engaged with experts from the Pentagon, National Security Council Staff, the Intelligence Community, academia, and Washington, D.C.-area think tanks. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meetings transitioning from in-person to virtual during the spring of 2020. Several Barrow Fellows were also able to attend an external workshop held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington on China’s One Belt, One Road initiative during the fellowship year, and then report back to the larger group about what they learned, enhancing