Is Roughead Talking Influence Squadrons For the South China Sea?

No, not by name, but I would sure love to hear the context of this discussion.

The U.S. Navy's top officer is urging China to work with the United States in the South China Sea despite Beijing's declaration of "indisputable sovereignty" over an area where more than half the world's oil tankers transit.

Admiral Gary Roughead, U.S. chief of naval operations, said on Wednesday it was important to build cooperative ties with the People's Liberation Army Navy, which has pushed further afield as Beijing's influence and international trade has grown.

"The work we do in the Somali basin, in my opinion, should be replicated in the South China Sea and other places at the same level of cooperation," Roughead told a forum on U.S. naval power organized by Government Executive Media Group, a Washington publisher.

Yes, I absolutely love that the CNO is out front talking about this because my first impression was how that statement immediately had me thinking of an article written last month by LCDR BJ Armstrong posted over at the USNI blog titled Developing Realistic Security and Assistance Squadrons: Another View of Operationalizing the Influence Squadron.

Hey @CNO_PAO, perhaps a transcript?

This is very good for China in 2010 for two reasons. First, it builds partnerships and relationships with the regional nations and interested stakeholders sending exactly the message China is saying but not sending in action - peaceful rise. Second, it builds confidence in China's ability to work with regional nations and interested stakeholders in dealing with security challenges in China's sphere of influence.

Like I have been saying lately, we are not China's problem even though they still blame us for their woes - every single nation in the region who is being highly resistant and skeptical of China during their current rise represents China's problem right now. Ultimately, that makes working with the US the best option for China to manage that problem, and there is no better way to start building a working relationship with China than the daily tasks associated with cooperative maritime security - exactly what the Security and Assistance Squadron (or Influence Squadron) is all about.