My initial thoughts were that this is just a Marine's wet dream of going back to the island hopping days of old. However, Dunford is a very smart individual (Mattis claims Dunford is the only one that has read more than he), which makes me pause to consider. How practical would island hopping be in a conventional war with China? It would rely heavily on surrounding sea control, which might not be possible with China's current and upcoming naval capabilities (
China's hypersonic missiles). We live in an age where the offensive naval strategy reigns, but I sense with new capabilities, what was old may become new again. Defensive naval strategy might be the thing to beat.
On the other hand, I was trying to discern what the overall goal might be in that kind of war. Island hopping in contemporary warfare will not serve the same goals as it did in WWII - stepping stones as a means to invade the enemy mainland and total destruction of said enemy. Rather, I'm thinking, it might serve the goal of choking off China from the sea. A sort of access denial. Controlling the islands surrounding China will create a defensive apparatus - a blockade if you will. It would sever their economic viability. The peace we might hope for is very Periclean, a return to the status quo, where our allies in the region remain sovereign and our access to the South China Sea lanes remains open and without contest. We could not, and should not, topple the Chinese government, or even invade the mainland. I don't think we have the political and economic capital to do that. It would be too costly in time, blood and treasure. The best we might hope for is civil unrest in China. That's a whole other bag, but this kind of blockade strategy might, if successful, force them to the negotiating table.
Perhaps I am reading too much into it. And perhaps I'm very wrong in my assumed objective of the exercise. This is just one lowly Midshipman's thoughts.
