Author Description

Over the last two decades, with U.S. military forces primarily focused on conflict in the Middle East, China's power projection proliferated from the Indo-Pacific region and spread Beijing's influence across all U.S. geographic combatant command (COCOM) areas of responsibility (AORs). China's efforts put U.S. national interests and security at risk and challenged the presence of U.S. hard power resources in regions outside the sustainable operational reach of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). To fill the gap in the PLA's capabilities, China fostered relationships outside its immediate borders and challenged the Western-dominated status quo across the globe. An operational framework (operational close, operational deep, and strategic deep) serves to understand the proliferation of China's influence across three U.S. COCOMs: USINDOPACOM, USCENTCOM, and USAFRICOM. Differences in Eastern and Western thought underpin the difficulty faced by U.S. planners developing operational and strategic plans to address competition. Theoretical definitions of power resources and behaviors across a geographically board arena, coupled with an understanding of organizational culture, provide clarity to China's regionally-focused objectives to achieving a "China Dream" of national rejuvenation. U.S. COCOMs, therefore, plan against the threat China's rising competition provokes. Encouragement of synergy amongst COCOMs, flexible and dynamic doctrinal changes, and a whole-of-government approach address challenges relevant to the U.S. military.This compilation also includes a reproduction of the 2019 Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community.The United States remains the world's dominant superpower. Over the last two decades, the United States projected all forms of national power through all domains, including across the range of military operations. The United States accomplished this militarily through established geographically and functionally aligned combatant co