Pacific Deterrence: An Update from Admiral John Aquilino

Senator Jack Reed (D-RI) and Senator Roger Wicker (R-MI) are the chairman and ranking member, respectively, of the Senate Armed Services Committee. On January 11, they issued a noteworthy joint statement after receiving a briefing from Admiral John Aquilino, the commander of all U.S. military forces in the Indo-Pacific. The briefing’s topic? The threat from China and how we should respond. 

The two senators called Admiral Aquilino’s briefing “sobering” and said “Failure to maintain deterrence against China… would be catastrophic for American national and economic security.” They said tackling the challenges must be a top priority for the committee and called for a number of urgent steps.

While many of us have been focused on the aftermath of the deplorable October 7 terror attack on Israel and growing instability and war in the Middle East, things have still been happening in the Indo-Pacific. So, what has China been up to? What has the U.S. military been doing to bolster deterrence? What additional steps must be taken?

Guest host Bradley Bowman, senior director of FDD's Center on Military and Political Power, asks these and related questions to Admiral Aquilino. Also joining the conversation: retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery. 

Admiral John Aquilino

Admiral Aquilino is the 26th Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command. That’s the Pentagon oldest and largest combatant command covering 36 nations, 14 time zones, and more than 50 percent of the world’s population. He oversees 380,000 service members and DOD civilians and is responsible for all U.S. military activities in the Indo-Pacific. That means he spends a lot of time thinking about the People’s Republic of China. Prior to his current assignment, he's commanded a carrier strike group, led all U.S. naval forces in the Middle East, and was the commander of U.S. Pacific Fleet, among many other assignments. In addition to being a leader, he’s also a pilot and warrior. He’s accumulated more than 5,000 flight hours. He’s been an F-14 and F-18 pilot and has 1,500 carrier landings. He’s also a graduate of the famous TOPGUN school. Admiral Aquilino has deployed many times, including in support of Operations Deny Flight, Deliberate Force, Southern Watch, Noble Eagle, Enduring Freedom, and Iraqi Freedom.

Rear Admiral (retired) Mark Montgomery

RADM Montgomery is the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at FDD where he is also a senior fellow. Mark spent 32 years in the U.S. Navy, commanded a carrier strike group, and worked as the director of operations at U.S. Pacific Command.