‘Every lever of statecraft’ needed to overcome Pacific threats, commander says

KONA, Hawaii—The U.S. military services are “doing everything that’s possible within the laws of physics” in the Indo-Pacific right now, but the region’s challenges require “every lever of statecraft, not just the military lever,” Adm. Samuel Paparo told Defense One in an interview.

On a balcony overlooking the ocean at the Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference, the leader of Indo-Pacific Command called the region “the key strategic problem to the United States,” and said all-domain operations “are a requirement” in the theater.

“This is a time for agnosticism in all-domain operations. Every formation is applicable in every domain. So, you know, we are open to every formation that can operate in every domain… and all units are required to operate in all domains. Not encouraged—required,” Paparo said. 

Paparo met with senior military leaders from 28 countries and NATO at the conference, whose theme was “The future Indo-Pacific: Building a resilient and interconnected region.”

Among them was Gen. Wu Yanan, who leads the People’s Liberation Army’s Southern Theater Command. Their in-person meeting continued a conversation begun in a Sept. 9 video call between the U.S. and Chinese commanders.

Only “time will tell” whether the communication will continue, Paparo said, but the video call “was a professional and courteous exchange of information, where I began by urging safe and professional conduct of forces, by pointing out a number of occasions where the [People’s Republic of China] hazarded U.S. and allied and partner forces throughout the theater.”

Wu “then made expressions of [China’s] own policy, none of which were a surprise,” Paparo said, after which he suggested that the two “could have a channel of communication unaffected by policy…where he and I could ensure that there were no miscalculations.”

Wu was “positive, but non-committal” on the idea of a regular communication channel, Paparo said, adding that his attendance at the conference “was a very positive sign.”

A press release issued by INDOPACOM after the conference noted that Paparo “underscored the importance of sustained lines of communication between the U.S. military and the PLA” in the in-person meeting.

China, of late, has been having fewer run-ins with the U.S., but more with allies, which is “why this channel is so important,” Paparo said.

Many of the recent aggressions have targeted Philippine vessels in the South China Sea, including a June attack by the Chinese coast guard on a Filipino naval craft involving an ax.  

“This is how the gray zone is defined…actions by a state actor, where they use aggression in such a way…that achieves ends with violence, in a way that minimizes the risk of open, acknowledged armed conflict. There’s always a risk of employing gray zone operation, but an ‘armed attack’ is amorphously defined,” Paparo said.

“An ax is a dangerous weapon. And it’s, there’s a Philippine sailor minus a thumb. His name’s Jeffrey. There’s a human side to this. And that human side, it also includes the Philippine fisher folk, who are poor, whose livelihood depends on fishing these waters.”

Amid the escalating tensions, Paparo said in August that the U.S. is open to the idea of the U.S. escorting Philippine ships in the region. But, he clarified to Defense One, he was merely saying INDOPACOM is prepared to do so if asked. 

“That’s my duty as a commander, and it’s my duty to have options prepared to cross the range of military operations,” he said.

Tensions have also escalated on the Korean peninsula, with North Korea launching multiple short-range ballistic weapons last week. 

North Korea’s actions “bear watching,” Paparo said. “We’re deeply concerned with the growing numbers of deepening partnerships among North Korea-Russia, PRC-Russia.” He added, “While we remain concerned, we also remain confident in our ability to deter and respond to aggression in the north.”

China and Russia “are demonstrating their ability to cooperate, and they’re demonstrating their, quote, no limits partnership,” he said. …“Having foreseen this, we have a significant, significant deterrent and response posture partnership ongoing with INDOPACOM and NORTHCOM ongoing presently that’s ready to intercept, ID, escort forces, and respond to forces…to ensure there’s no seams.”

For the conference, Paparo said the greatest possible outcome could be that “we come out of it with a common understanding of the environment, and we leave with a greater trust, so that when a problem arises, you have a baseline of trust, so that you can pick up the phone immediately and you can solve problems. And that’s the greatest currency there is: Trust.”