AirSea Battle AirSea Battle is an integrated battle doctrine that forms a key component of the military strategy of the United States . The doctrine became official in February 2010 . Background . Inspired by the AirLand Battle concept , the United States Navy and Air Force are working on a new AirSea Battle doctrine . A version was codified in a 2009 Navy - Air Force classified memo which addressed " asymmetrical threats " in the Western Pacific and the Persian Gulf , which are seen as meaning China and Iran . The Pentagon has created a China Integration Team composed of U . S . Navy officers to apply AirSea Battle lessons to a potential conflict with China . In 2010 the Obama Administration declared that freedom of maritime navigation in the South China Sea , whose islands are claimed variously by China , Vietnam , Brunei , Taiwan , Malaysia and the Philippines , is a U . S . national interest . The comment was seen as a response to a Chinese official stating the region was a " core interest " of Chinese sovereignty . AirSea Battle officially became part of U . S . grand strategy , when , in February 2010 , the U . S . Department of Defense ' s Quadrennial Defense Review stated : " The Air Force and Navy together are developing a new joint air - sea battle concept for defeating adversaries across the range of military operations , including adversaries equipped with sophisticated anti - access and area denial capabilities . The concept will address how air and naval forces will integrate capabilities across all operational domains — air , sea , land , space , and cyberspace — to counter growing challenges to U . S . freedom of action . As it matures , the concept will also help guide the development of future capabilities needed for effective power projection operations . " Origin . The Pentagon ' s Office of Net Assessment , led by 91 - year - old Andrew Marshall , has played a leading role in designing U . S . strategy in the Pacific . Marshall ' s office works closely with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments ( CSBA ) led by Lieutenant - Colonel Andrew Krepinevich , whose outfit helped coin the phrase AirSea Battle . CSBA is a think tank engaging in AirSea Battle research and the leading advocate of the AirSea Battle strategy . In April 2010 the CSBA released the report , " AirSea Battle : A Point - of - Departure Operational Concept , " outlining the U . S . military ' s growing operational difficulties in the Western Pacific Theater of Operations ( WPTO ) . The report argues for the United States to diversify its military strategy away from " the demands of modern irregular warfare " and fielding forces designed for " security threats that are fading into history " to one that highlights the Chinese People ' s Liberation Army ' s ( PLA ) quick ability to field anti - access / area - denial ( A2 / AD ) technologies . The authors are quick to point out that they are not suggesting the United States seeks a confrontation or a war with China , but rather " offsetting the PLA ' s unprovoked and unwarranted military buildup . " Michael O ' Hanlon of the Brookings Institution believes the phrase " AirSea Battle " is politically contentious and should be renamed to " AirSea Operations , " which he thinks better reflects the doctrine . " It may seem curious to worry about semantics and political correctness when talking about military systems or plans for war . But in Asia , semantics count a great deal ; on a recent trip there , I heard lots of complaints about America ' s perceived efforts to contain China with frequent reference to … AirSea Battle doctrine . " O ' Hanlon is a strong supporter of the doctrine but thinks a change in semantics , along with more dialogue and transparency will mitigate the security dilemma between the United States and China . O ' Hanlon and James Steinberg argue that " policymakers must put this military doctrine into perspective and not let it become a prescription for unfettered rivalry . " Coordination . The Pentagon ' s new Air - Sea Strategy Office will focus on anti - anti - access / area denial concepts . The House Armed Service Committee has questioned if this office was duplicate of other Pentagon bureaucracy . Kenneth McKenzie defines the USMC role in Air - Sea battle as an airborne assault force that operates from ships to seize bases . The USAF is responding to the threats against their foreign bases with the Pacific Airpower Resiliency Initiative .