Every year, the U.S. Naval Academy hosts the Naval Academy Foreign Affairs Conference (NAFAC). It is one of the country’s premier civil-military undergraduate conferences that discusses current events at the unclassified level. In 2017, the conference topic was appropriate: “Are We In A New Era of Great Power Competition?” The conference hosted approximately 150 delegates, 40 of whom were from foreign countries. Of the international students, 24 were from allied or friendly foreign militaries.
It seems it would benefit U.S. naval strategy, help the Navy gain an understanding of China’s future naval leaders, and possibly improve U.S.–China relations if NAFAC were to invite a Chinese military delegation—perhaps from the Da Lian Naval Academy—to participate in a future conference. It could be a relatively low-risk, high-yield opportunity.
The idea that potential U.S. losses are more than the United States can gain from such engagement is incorrect. American leadership must come to terms with the fact that China already is achieving prestige, knowledge, and connectivity on its own steam. American leaders should think pragmatically about the relationship with China. China is challenging and will continue to challenge the United States for preeminence in sea power and global standing. China’s focus is the South China Sea and Asia-Pacific, where it almost has achieved military parity with the United States.
Any reasonable course is one in which engagement with China is commensurate with its willingness to cooperate on major issues, such as the de-escalation of the Korean Peninsula, adherence to a rules-based international economic order, and forgoing of its island building and territorial expansion. But it takes two to play that game, and there are cards to play that will apply pressure and reduce risk.
Involvement with the U.S. Naval Academy is one card to play when the United States needs China’s cooperation on international issues. Chinese leadership likely places great value on entry to an institution as prestigious as the U.S. Naval Academy. The Chinese have almost no opportunities to collaborate with the U.S. naval education system now, and it is a loss of face for them. For instance, Chinese delegations that are invited to the Naval Academy today are treated to a courteous but superficial view of the Yard.
From the Chinese view, the opportunity to send a cadet to the Foreign Affairs Conference would be valuable. U.S. allies already have highly valued exchange programs with the Naval Academy. The chance to practice English and the first-rate education are attractive by themselves, but the Naval Academy can offer more, including recognition, relationships, and cultural understanding.
Engaging China would be an opportunity for young U.S. naval leaders to interact with future officers on a personal and professional level. This could be as simple as learning more about where a cadet comes from or his favorite American meal. Or, it could foster discussion about what a Chinese cadet thinks (or is expected to think) about a topic such as great power competition and China’s place in the world. Such engagements also could open communication channels at a higher level and could be used as bargaining tools for cooperation on other goals. Improved U.S.-China relations would offer a chance to begin a more productive relationship for U.S. and Chinese leaders.
It would be unwise to forget that the famous Japanese Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto studied at Harvard and visited the U.S. Naval War College. He and others in the Imperial Japanese Navy likely used this to gain an understanding of the U.S. strategic mindset. Yet today, the U.S.-Japan naval relationship is among the strongest at the Naval Academy. This close relationship was formed in the wake of World War II, at what must have been a period of tense relations. Each year, several Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force cadets from the National Defense Academy and midshipmen from the U.S. Naval Academy complete a semester-long exchange at their counterparts’ schools. They attend classes in the host nation’s language and build professional friendships. The United States should risk the educational engagement with the Chinese. The U.S. Naval Academy’s Foreign Affairs Conference is a place to start that process.
Midshipman Bilden is a member of the Naval Academy class of 2018. He selected surface warfare for his service selection and will be assigned to the USS John Finn (DDG-113) in San Diego after graduation.