The U.S. and Royal Malaysian Navy vessels KD Lekir, guided-missile frigate USS Ford and KD Sri Inderapura sail in formation during Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2008, July 14, 2008. CARAT is an annual series of bilateral maritime training exercises involving the United States and several Southeast Asian nations designed to build relationships and enhance operational readiness. U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Brian Brannon The South China Sea Is The Future Of Conflict -- Foreign Policy
The 21st century's defining battleground is going to be on water.
Europe is a landscape; East Asia a seascape. Therein lies a crucial difference between the 20th and 21st centuries. The most contested areas of the globe in the last century lay on dry land in Europe, particularly in the flat expanse that rendered the eastern and western borders of Germany artificial and exposed to the inexorable march of armies. But over the span of the decades, the demographic and economic axis of the Earth has shifted measurably to the opposite end of Eurasia, where the spaces between major population centers are overwhelmingly maritime.
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My Comment: Will future battlegrounds be on water .... I would have to say 'yes and no'. For countries in the Far East .... the focus will be on developing both naval and air forces for future conflicts. For regions like Africa, the Middle East, etc. .... the ground battlefield will be the defining one.