Author: Ethan Connell

Visualization: Map of Territories and Claims in the Spratly Islands

Authors: Chris Dayton, Ethan Connell

The PLA’s Southern Theater Command recently undertook live-fire exercises to the north of the Spratly Islands, which they claim under their Nine-Dash Line.

Above is our visualization of the administration of those features along with China’s claims, highlighting a May 21st incident in which a China Coast Guard ship sideswiped and water-cannoned a Philippine government vessel in the waters around Sandy Cay.

Don’t Sweep Minesweepers Under the Rug: America’s Critical Naval Vulnerability

Authors: Ethan Connell & Jonathan Walberg

TSM Research Team Lead Ethan Connell and Associate Director Jonathan Walberg write about the urgent threat facing the United States Navy. In it, they talk about the looming mine threat and the role of minesweeping capabilities in modern conflict. They note the exigency of this problem, and illustrate a path forward to addressing this issue. The Center for Maritime Strategy’s Maritime Operations Center. May 20th, 2025.

Read the full piece here.

Visualization: AFP Northern Luzon Facilities and Deployments

Author: Chris Dayton, Ian Struble, Ethan Connell

As Balikatan 2025 continues, AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Romeo Brawner recently underscored the “inevitability” of Philippine involvement in a Taiwan conflict, citing 250,000 overseas Filipino workers in Taiwan.

The Northern Luzon Command’s strategic position is pivotal, as joint drills with the US intensify near the Bashi Channel and Luzon Strait.

This map contains all deployed unit land facilities, relevant airfields, and naval bases/facilities.