The Future of Engineers in the South China Sea

By Captain Victoria P. Streibich

Article published on: May 28, 2025 in the Engineer 2025 E-Edition

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In the early 2000s, the U.S. Army was at a crossroad. The start of the War on Terrorism identified the necessity for force structure modernization in order to fight and win in counterinsurgency operations. Units needed to be individually deployable and self-sustaining for long periods of time, resulting in the creation of the brigade combat team (BCT). However, since the inception of the BCT, global threats have evolved and, as a result, the BCT force structure has become antiquated and ineffective for large-scale combat operations with a near-peer force. The current BCT structure is unsuitable for general engineering support in a large-scale combat environment; therefore, the Army requires the immediate restructure and distribution of its engineer assets to compete against its most dangerous adversary—China.

The South China Sea is an increasingly volatile region, and China’s actions in recent years indicate that it is posturing for a global conflict. The trouble in the South China Sea is a complex combination of boarder disputes between sovereign nations and political and socioeconomic issues. Aside from its global economic importance, the South China Sea provides a strategic foothold for military operations.

China has laid claim to numerous islands off the coast of Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines. Occupying these islands and posts promotes mobility through the South China Sea and serves as assembly areas for the Chinese military to expand its sphere of influence. Recently, China’s expansion into disputed territories in the South China Sea has become more audacious. Military complexes and infrastructure have been built on numerous barrier islands, with notable construction across the Spratly Islands.¹ A joint military complex, equipped with an airfield and a 3,000-meter-long runway that can withstand passes from most combat and support aircraft in the People’s Liberation Army, Navy, and Air Force, has been constructed on Fiery Cross Reef to accommodate Chinese naval vessels. Johnson South Reef, off the southeast coast of Vietnam, has been fortified with Chinese radar towers, heavy weapon positions, and multistory buildings.² In light of these developments, it is evident that the Chinese government and military are preparing for an impending conflict.

In terms of current combat power, China is the biggest threat to the United States. If China initiated a global conflict, the U.S. Army would quickly be proven combat-ineffective due to its current BCT-driven force structure. The BCT was designed to be a lethal, agile, and versatile fighting force, promoting modularity and allowing decentralized command.³ The autonomy over their entire formations allowed commanders to independently integrate capabilities, mass forces, and maneuver through the battlespace.⁴ In terms of general engineering support, the capabilities of the BCT reside exclusively in the brigade engineer battalion. With the BCT structure prioritizing combat engineer operations that promote mobility and countermobility, general engineering capabilities have been mismanaged and underutilized. The BCT was effective during the War on Terrorism; however, it is now an outdated relic of a force structure and, due to its lack of general engineering support, would not support prolonged large-scale combat operations with China.

General and combat engineering operations overlap in support of the Army mission set. Both disciplines focus on shaping the terrain; however, due to its diverse construction capabilities, general engineering is more equipped to support large-scale combat operations. Because the majority of engineering assets across the Army are construction-based, construction operations are applicable to all military operations.⁵ General engineering also has a direct tie to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE).⁶ USACE military capabilities include contingency support and field force engineering.⁷ USACE is a predominately civilian organization, but it provides military general engineering support operations across the Department of Defense. USACE contingency support provides technical engineering expertise, construction in austere areas of operation, and contingency planning and contracting.⁸ USACE contingency response units can facilitate the design and construction of seaports, airfields, roads, and railways in contested environments. This unique USACE capability is necessary as the potential conflict in the South China Sea escalates.

Based on current satellite imaging of the South China Sea, China is actively outpacing the United States in general engineering planning, design, and construction.⁹ However, with the proper utilization of specialized USACE field force engineering capabilities, the U.S. Army could soon catch up to—or surpass—Chinese operations. Forward engineer support teams–advanced (FEST-A) are deployable teams that provide infrastructure assessments; engineer planning and design; and environmental, geospatial, and other technical engineer support. These teams are highly specialized and are meant to augment the staff at all echelons from brigade to theater.¹⁰

If tensions escalate in the South China Sea, it is important to note that theater-organic general engineer support assets do not exist. And, while the Army has identified its gap in engineering capabilities, its templated task-reorganization plan for the U.S. Army Engineer Corps does not address the underutilization of USACE as forward engineering assets or the overall lack of general engineering support across the Indo-Pacific Command. To remedy this issue, a contingency engineer district must be stood up in Indonesia. Preemptively staging a USACE contingency district in the South Pacific would enable rapid in-theater deployment of construction assets. Contingency response units could ensure that ports, airfields, roads, and initial life support structures are constructed prior to the arrival of maneuver and support units. Additionally, there should be a FEST-A embedded with Indo-Pacific Command headquarters. A FEST-A cell in the operations section would ensure technical engineer oversight for all in-theater general engineering operations. Given the current contentious state of the South China Sea, proactive general engineering operations and planning are necessary to ensure that China does not outpace the United States as they set conditions for a global conflict.

Deliberately standing up USACE units and integrating a general engineering planning cell within the Indo-Pacific Command better postures current U.S. forces to respond to the impending conflict with China. Ultimately, these force structure changes ensure deliberate general engineering planning at the combatant command level while also providing a rapidly deployable, theater-level general engineering force.

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