{"id":67397,"date":"2023-04-19T23:14:55","date_gmt":"2023-04-19T23:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/uncategorized\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T15:25:26","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T15:25:26","slug":"the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/","title":{"rendered":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Editor\u2019s note: This <\/i>commentary<\/i><\/a> was first published in <\/i>The Conversation<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship<\/a> on April 26, 2023, in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The live-fire drill is not a response to increased tensions<\/a> with China over Taiwan, both the U.S. and the Philippines have stressed. But, either way, Beijing isn\u2019t happy \u2013 responding by holding its own staged military event<\/a> involving actual warships and fighter jets deployed around Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing claims as its own.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The tit-for-tat war games underscore a reality that U.S. presidents have increasingly had to contend with as the 21st century has drawn on. More than a century after President Theodore Roosevelt made the United States the preeminent maritime power<\/a> in the Pacific, that position is under threat<\/a>. China is seeking to displace it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a scholar of East Asian security and maritime disputes<\/a>, I believe that the growing rivalry between the U.S. and China over dominance of the Pacific has the potential to define geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific region<\/a> for the next half-century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Already, ongoing maritime disputes pit China against several Asian countries. For example, China regularly challenges the maritime rights<\/a> of Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia in the South China Sea and Japan in the East China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the disputed waters are also of huge strategic importance to the U.S. It is where China is flexing its growing military might in the face of U.S. allies and partners, notably Taiwan, which the U.S. has committed to defend<\/a>. If a war between China and the U.S. is going to happen, I believe the South China Sea is likely to be a major theater, with Chinese aggression toward Taiwan the spark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The scramble over the South China Sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For centuries, the dozens of islands, shoals, reefs, banks and rocks in the South China Sea were regarded as little more than hazards to navigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But with the discovery of large reserves of oil and gas in the 1970s<\/a> and billions of dollars\u2019 worth of fisheries<\/a>, the previously largely ignored sea has gained significant attention from the countries whose shorelines meet it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It led to a revival of elapsed conflicting claims of \u201cownership\u201d over the sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

China currently claims legal rights to the vast majority of the South China Sea, extending well beyond the boundaries established by the 1982 U.N. Convention on the Law of the Sea<\/a> (UNCLOS).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This claim by China, designated on maps by a nine-dash line<\/a>, overlaps with the legally recognized maritime and territorial rights of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past decade, China has consistently engaged in low-level coercive activities called \u201cgray zone tactics<\/a>,\u201d such as small-scale deployment of the Chinese Coast Guard in disputed waters and the manning of fishing vessels with civilians trained by the Chinese military. The purpose is to harass others and assert Chinese maritime rights outside legal Chinese waters, as recognized under UNCLOS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2013, China has also built up several reefs and shoals into artificial islands, building military bases<\/a> with runways, radar technology and missile-launching capabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, an UNCLOS Annex VII arbitration panel ruled that China\u2019s nine-dash line claims were illegal<\/a> and rejected China\u2019s rights to maritime features in the legal waters of the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But despite the legally binding nature of the ruling, China has continued to militarize its artificially built-up islands and harass neighboring countries\u2019 military and fishing vessels. It has also denied passage to U.S. Navy ships<\/a> legally sailing through waters in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Successive U.S. administrations have aired concern over developments in the sea. In 2020, then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo issued a U.S. position<\/a> on the South China Sea, rejecting China\u2019s maritime claims and its \u201cbullying\u201d tactics as \u201cunlawful.\u201d His successor, Antony Blinken, in 2021 declared<\/a>: \u201cNowhere is the rules-based maritime order under greater threat than in the South China Sea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But why does the South China Sea matter so much to the U.S.? The answer lies in economics and power politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A source of trade, natural resources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

About one-third of the world\u2019s shipping transits the South China Sea. In all, more than US$3.4 trillion worth of products<\/a> \u2013 everything from rubber ducks to cars \u2013 is transported through its waters every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sea connects the Pacific Ocean to the Indian Ocean, allowing trade from East Asian countries to flow to and from billions of people in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. It is also where 14% of all U.S. maritime trade<\/a> passes through. It is a crucial route for outgoing U.S. goods as well as getting products to the U.S. Without it, the transport of products we use every day would slow down, and these products would cost more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then there are oil and gas. Around 30% of all global crude oil<\/a> transits through the South China Sea. Furthermore, there is an estimated $11 billion worth of oil and 190 trillion cubic feet of proven deposits of natural gas<\/a> in the sea, as well as undiscovered oil and gas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meanwhile, more than half of all fishing vessels in the world<\/a> operate in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For economic reasons alone, the U.S. and the rest of the world need open trade routes and sea lanes in the South China Sea. Preventing one country \u2013 especially a hostile China \u2013 from controlling these trade routes and resources is a crucial policy concern for Washington.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Power politics at sea<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although economics plays a part, China\u2019s actions in the South China Sea are part of a much broader aggressive campaign. Beijing views territorial and maritime control in the region through the lens of its national security<\/a>. It seeks to project its power in the region and defend the Chinese mainland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, as acknowledged by the U.S. government<\/a>, China is looking to overturn the status quo, replacing the U.S. as the superpower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This battle for power is already taking shape in the South China Sea, with regular confrontations<\/a> between U.S. naval vessels and China\u2019s maritime militia and navy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artificial islands in the South China Sea provide China with military capabilities far beyond the mainland alone. These outposts can be used to help counter and fight the U.S. and its allies, for example, in a war over Taiwan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While the U.S. is not itself a claimant in the South China Sea disputes, the waters there remain a significant priority for the national security interests of Washington<\/a>, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is why the U.S. and its allies conduct freedom of navigation missions through the South China Sea and engage in naval exercises<\/a> such as the one taking place in April 2023<\/a> with the Philippines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With China playing by a different set of rules than the U.S. and its allies in the region, the risk of clashes at sea is very real. It could even lead to conflict between the two most powerful countries in the world today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next time a warship is blown up in the South China Sea, I fear that it may not be just a drill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\"The\n\n\n\n

Have an opinion?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This article is an Op-Ed and as such, the opinions expressed are those of the author. If you would like to respond, or have an editorial of your own you would like to submit, please <\/i>email us<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Want more perspectives like this sent straight to you? <\/i>Subscribe to get our Commentary & Opinion newsletter<\/i><\/a> once a week.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":106542,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":14,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[77,101,23,93,25,14],"tags":[],"coauthors":[6952],"class_list":["post-67397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-commentary","category-daily-news-roundup","category-home","category-middle-column","category-newsletters","category-opinion"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"WUGG43HMDFBCNDF2EK36MYRNNA","arc_canonical_url":"\/opinion\/commentary\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"\nThe US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea - Marine Corps Times<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Marine Corps Times\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Krista Wiegand, The Conversation\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Krista Wiegand, The Conversation\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Article\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#article\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"author\": {\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\"\n\t },\n\t \"headline\": \"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00\",\n\t \"mainEntityOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/\"\n\t },\n\t \"wordCount\": 1274,\n\t \"commentCount\": 0,\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/7737203.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"articleSection\": [\n\t \"Commentary\",\n\t \"Daily News Roundup\",\n\t \"Home\",\n\t \"Middle Column\",\n\t \"Newsletters\",\n\t \"Opinion\"\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"CommentAction\",\n\t \"name\": \"Comment\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#respond\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea - Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"primaryImageOfPage\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#primaryimage\"\n\t },\n\t \"thumbnailUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/7737203.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00\",\n\t \"dateModified\": \"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#primaryimage\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/7737203.jpg.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/08\\\/7737203.jpg.jpg\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/2023\\\/04\\\/19\\\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\\\/#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"home\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Opinion\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/opinion\\\/\",\n\t \"ad_zone\": \"opinion\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 3,\n\t \"name\": \"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"description\": \"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"publisher\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\"\n\t },\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Organization\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#organization\",\n\t \"name\": \"Marine Corps Times\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/\",\n\t \"logo\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/marine-logo-white.png\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Marine Corps Times\"\n\t },\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1\",\n\t \"name\": \"migration\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\n\t \"caption\": \"migration\"\n\t },\n\t \"url\": \"https:\\\/\\\/one.sightlinemg.com\\\/marinecorpstimes\\\/author\\\/migration\\\/\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea - Marine Corps Times","description":"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.","robots":{"index":"noindex","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea","og_description":"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.","og_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/","og_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","article_published_time":"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00","author":"Krista Wiegand, The Conversation","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Krista Wiegand, The Conversation","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/"},"author":{"name":"migration","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1"},"headline":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea","datePublished":"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/"},"wordCount":1274,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7737203.jpg.jpg","articleSection":["Commentary","Daily News Roundup","Home","Middle Column","Newsletters","Opinion"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/","name":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea - Marine Corps Times","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7737203.jpg.jpg","datePublished":"2023-04-19T23:14:55+00:00","dateModified":"2026-08-08T15:25:26+00:00","description":"As part of a joint military exercise with the Philippines, the U.S. Navy is slated to sink a mock warship in the South China Sea.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7737203.jpg.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7737203.jpg.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/2023\/04\/19\/the-us-is-about-to-blow-up-a-fake-warship-in-the-south-china-sea\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","ad_zone":"home"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Opinion","item":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/opinion\/","ad_zone":"opinion"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"The US is about to blow up a fake warship in the South China Sea"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#website","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","name":"Marine Corps Times","description":"Marine Corps - Independent News For Marines | Marine Corps Times","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#organization","name":"Marine Corps Times","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/marine-logo-white.png","caption":"Marine Corps Times"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/#\/schema\/person\/cc76c831bb37a926738c8391fca7a3b1","name":"migration","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=gcf4cb6ee0ec29e49e7a963234e4340ec","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/9e8d47be443ce94ce7fc357677b5f9c70235bb1f59e7267a102a74af58c04f59?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"migration"},"url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/author\/migration\/"}]}},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Marine Corps Times","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes","push-errors":false,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/7737203.jpg.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67397"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":67401,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67397\/revisions\/67401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67397"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/marinecorpstimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=67397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}