As for the U.S., the South China Sea encompasses important sea-lanes traversed by both commercial and naval shipping. Keeping those sea lines of communication secure and unencumbered is an important American economic and security interest. Any statement of U.S. strategy should make such interests explicit and clear. The stakes are potentially far too high for muddled messages. Southeast Asia needs reliable cues as to what to expect, or not to expect, from the U.S. security presence.
China needs the same.
The core strategic issues posed by China go essentially unmentioned. To the reader it is clear that America is carrying a big stick in Asia, but it is not all clear why. In short, think strategically. Marvin C. Ott is a professor of national security policy at the U.S. National War College. The views expressed here are his own, and are drawn from a presentation at the 1999 National Defense University Pacific Symposium held in Honolulu March 1-2, 1999.