Understanding and Countering China's Maritime Gray Zone Operations

The authors identify approaches for the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command to counter and deter Chinese maritime gray zone operations. Specifically, they focus on such U.S. military approaches as presence operations, transparency initiatives that publicize malign Chinese behaviors, efforts to spur U.S. allies to help counter China's gray zone efforts, and the use of non-lethal weapons to deter China's aggressive behaviors in the South China Sea.