Robert J. Bunker - China’s Securing, Shaping, and Exploitation of Strategic Spaces: Gray Zone Response and Counter-Shi Strategies: A Small Wars Journal Pocket Book

Front Cover Images: Flag Map of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) and the Republic of China (ROC) and the first five Chinese Communist Party (CCP) regime rulers (from left to right); Mao Zedong, Deng Xiaoping, Jiang Zemin, Hu Jintao, and Xi Jinping. Flag Map; Getty Image No. 512342864. Mao Zedong; Portrait of Mao Zedong at Tiananmen Gate, Beijing. Getty Image No. 118951298. Deng Xiaoping; https://catalog.archives.gov/id/183157 . Jiang Zemin; St. Petersburg, 6 June 2002. President of Russia, http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/42704/photos/32140 . Per Russian Presidential Press Agreement. Hu Jintao; In Cannes, France 2 November 2011. Presidenta Dilma Rousseff durante encontro com Hu Jintao Secretaire general du Parti communiste chinois, https://www.flickr.com/photos/dilma-rousseff/6308608777/ . Per license usage. Xi Jinping; In Tashkent, Uzbekistan on June 23, 2016. Press Information Bureau on behalf of Prime Ministers Office, Government of India, https://pib.gov.in/newsite/photo.aspx?photoid=85097 . Per National Data Sharing and Accessibility Policy (NDSAP) of Government of India.

CHINAs
Securing, Shaping, and
Exploitation of Strategic Spaces:
Gray Zone Response and Counter-Shi Strategies

Robert J. Bunker

A Small Wars Journal Pocket Book

Copyright 2019 by Robert J. Bunker and Small Wars Foundation.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Rev. date: 12/21/2019

Xlibris

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

Contents

About Small Wars Journal
And Foundation

Small Wars Journal facilitates the exchange of information among practitioners, thought leaders, and students of Small Wars, in order to advance knowledge and capabilities in the field. We hope this, in turn, advances the practice and effectiveness of those forces prosecuting Small Wars in the interest of self-determination, freedom, and prosperity for the population in the area of operations.

We believe that Small Wars are an enduring feature of modern politics. We do not believe that true effectiveness in Small Wars is a lesser included capability of a force tailored for major theater war. And we never believed that bypass built-up areas was a tenable position warranting the doctrinal primacy it has held for too longthis site is an evolution of the MOUT Homepage, Urban Operations Journal, and urbanoperations.com, all formerly run by the Small Wars Journals Editor-in-Chief.

The characteristics of Small Wars have evolved since the Banana Wars and Gunboat Diplomacy. War is never purely military, but todays Small Wars are even less pure with the greater inter-connectedness of the 21 st century. Their conduct typically involves the projection and employment of the full spectrum of national and coalition power by a broad community of practitioners. The military is still generally the biggest part of the pack, but there are a lot of other wolves. The strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack.

The Small Wars Journals founders come from the Marine Corps. Like Marines deserve to be, we are very proud of this; we are also conscious and cautious of it. This site seeks to transcend any viewpoint that is single service, and any that is purely military or naively U.S.-centric. We pursue a comprehensive approach to Small Wars, integrating the full joint, allied, and coalition military with their governments federal or national agencies, non-governmental agencies, and private organizations. Small Wars are big undertakings, demanding a coordinated effort from a huge community of interest.

We thank our contributors for sharing their knowledge and experience, and hope you will continue to join us as we build a resource for our community of interest to engage in a professional dialog on this painfully relevant topic. Share your thoughts, ideas, successes, and mistakes; make us all stronger.

I know it when I se e it.

Small Wars is an imperfect term used to describe a broad spectrum of spirited continuation of politics by other means, falling somewhere in the middle bit of the continuum between feisty diplomatic words and global thermonuclear war. The Small Wars Journal embraces that imperfection.

Just as friendly fire isnt, there isnt necessarily anything small about a Small War.

The term Small War either encompasses or overlaps with a number of familiar terms such as counterinsurgency, foreign internal defense, support and stability operations, peacemaking, peacekeeping, and many flavors of intervention. Operations such as noncombatant evacuation, disaster relief, and humanitarian assistance will often either be a part of a Small War, or have a Small Wars feel to them. Small Wars involve a wide spectrum of specialized tactical, technical, social, and cultural skills and expertise, requiring great ingenuity from their practitioners. The Small Wars Manual (a wonderful resource, unfortunately more often referred to than read) notes that:

Small Wars demand the highest type of leadership directed by intelligence, resourceful ness, and ingenuity. Small Wars are conceived in uncertainty, are conducted often with precarious
responsibility and doubtful authority, under indeterminate orders lacking specific instruct ions.

The three block war construct employed by General Krulak is exceptionally useful in describing the tactical and operational challenges of a Small War and of many urban operations. Its only shortcoming is that is so useful that it is often mistaken as a definition or as a type of operation.

Wed like to deploy a primer on Small Wars that provides more depth than this brief section. Your suggestions and contributions of content are welcome.

Who Are Those Guys?

Small Wars Journal is NOT a government, official, or big corporate site. It is run by Small Wars Foundation , a non-profit corporation, for the benefit of the Small Wars community of interest. The site principals are Dave Dilegge (Editor-in-Chief) and Bill Nagle (Publisher), and it would not be possible without the support of myriad volunteers as well as authors who care about this field and contribute their original works to the community. We do this in our spare time, because we want to. McDonalds pays more. But wed rather work to advance our noble profession than watch TV, try to super-size your order, or interest you in a delicious hot apple pie. If and when youre not flipping burgers, please join us.