Speaking of the island chain strategy in the Western Pacific, it is really a classic battlefield for the game of major powers. The first island chain is drawn from Japan's Kyushu line to Taiwan and then around the Philippine Islands. It was originally a blockade line laid by the United States during the Cold War, with the purpose of catching the neck of the China navy going out to sea. But now, the situation has changed.
The actions of the China navy are becoming more and more serious, especially the ocean-going operation around Australia in February this year, which directly scared the Australians into a cold sweat.
First, we must clarify the concept of island chain. Island chains are nothing new. During the Cold War, Americans thought of using the islands of Japan, Taiwan Province, and the Philippines as barriers to block the Soviet and Chinese navies from rushing deep into the Pacific Ocean. The first island chain is the inside line, the second island chain runs from Japan's Ogasawara Islands to Guam and Mariana Islands, and the third island chain is farther away, bypassing Hawaii and pointing directly to the United States.
In these years, China's naval deployment has been rapid, Type 055 destroyer, aircraft carrier team one in service, now is not the role of passive beating.In late February 2025, China's naval team led by Type 055 destroyer compliance number, carrying Type 054A escort ships Bayonne and Type 903 Supply Ships from the South China Sea, traveled around the East Coast, South Australia, West Coast, completed a complete tour of Australia, and also carried out ballistic shooting exercises in Tasman Sea.
In just a few hundred nautical miles, the Australian Air Force P-8A patrol plane went to see, but the U.S. military did not see major movements, only to track far away.
The BBC that the Chinese warships in the Australian overseas real bombing exercises, the sword pointed to the third island chain, the timing and means are full of confidence.The New York Times also followed, saying that the Chinese fleet around Australia triggered a huge wave, Australians began to look at the alliance with the United States.
The Australia Ministry of Defense quickly stated that the formation did not violate any rules while operating in international waters, but the intelligence department was busy in private. Australian military experts bluntly said that the Australian army was completely defeated this time because they did not realize that the China fleet was coming to the door.
In Washington's National Interest magazine, geopolitical analyst Brandon Wetzett wrote in a review that the U.S. defense line in the western Pacific was torn apart, that the Chinese Navy and Air Force dominated the first island chain, and that the U.S. aircraft carriers and bombers did not dare to approach because of the long-range missile threat of the Chinese Rocket Force.
He is a senior researcher at the National Interest Center, specializing in China-US competition, and has written a lot of books about space and ocean strategy before. This article directly refers to the Obama administration's two administrations (2009 to 2017) resources misallocation, so that China drilled the vacuum. After Obama came to power, there was a shift to Asia-Pacific strategy, can be implemented and total distraction.
Just after the financial crisis in 2009, he was busy pushing medical reform and economic stimulus, spending a lot of money in the country.In 2010, the Arab Spring broke out, the Middle East became a pot, the U.S. Air Force and Navy pulled resources to Libya airstrikes, the F-15 fighter jets took off from an Italian base, and the warhead missiles were launched from an aircraft carrier, which billed a billion knives.
But what about Asia-Pacific? Upgrade projects for Burke-class destroyers have dragged their feet, and submarine maintenance budgets have been diverted. The Chinese Navy just took the opportunity to launch the Liaoning ship and start building an aircraft carrier formation.
In 2011, when bin Laden was killed, the U.S. Marine Corps nightly attacked Abbott, and Obama watched live in the White House battle room. What is the cost of this victory?The construction of the air base in the Asia-Pacific was stalled, and the expansion of the runway at the Anderson base in Guam was stopped. The Chinese Air Force simultaneously deployed the F-11, the number and quality of the US F-16.
Wechett calculated that if Obama did not throw his energy in the Middle East, the U.S. military could have built several submarine traps on the first island chain, and the aircraft carrier strike group could also cross the ancient Strait several times.
Russia annexed Crimea, tanks entered the border, the Obama administration rushed to invest in NATO’s Eastern Wing, Patriot missile systems were shipped to Poland, and the F-22 from Germany patroled the Baltic Sea. The Asia-Pacific resources were tightened, the U.S. Navy’s Zeus Shield system was updated, and the Chinese Navy’s Type 052D destroyer landed, and the tonnage and technical gap was bridged at once.
In 2018, the tariff war against China began, and the Trade Representative's Office negotiated a mountain of documents on the table for the purpose of targeting China's supply chain. But militarily, Trump visited the Pentagon, pointing to the location of the second island chain on the map, ordering the expansion of Guam and Tianjin Island bases.
After his second term on January 20, 2025, he signed an executive order to accelerate the F-35 procurement, adding overtime points to the Lockheed plant's water line, but these remedies came too late. The first island chain's out of control is already a fact, China's rocket missiles cover the entire arc, and a wave of U.S. military bases can harvest.
The China Navy has eight Type 055 destroyers in service, each costing only half the cost of the Mayburk class, but its firepower is not lost. The purchase price of the Dongfeng-26 missile is one-tenth of that of similar products in the United States, and the production line delivers goods in batches. In Australia's operation around Australia, the US military's P-3C anti-submarine aircraft took off from Guam to track it, but did not dare to approach it. Australia's own frigate USS Stewart could only hang far away.
On March 7th, the formation returned to Qingdao, and the Australian Parliament debated joint exercises with the United States. However, intelligence reports showed that the activities of the US military were limited to symbolic cruises. The Chinese Air Force's J-20s are deployed in the East China Sea, exceeding the number of F-16 squadrons at the Yokota base in Japan.
Americans love to dump the blame on Obama, saying that he gave in and allowed China to grow up. But to put this bluntly, it means that you don't admit defeat. Since the Reagan era, the United States began to engage in neoliberalism, deindustrialization, manufacturing outflow, and military costs soared. What about China? With a solid industrial foundation and strong organization and mobilization capabilities, the cost performance of a 055 shield warship overpowered Burke class.
Even if Obama did not have those wonderful operations, the U.S. advanced equipment was 20 to 30 percent larger, and the Western Pacific had 30 to 40 percent more troops, it could not change the situation.