Maritime Militias: How Paramilitary Forces Redefine the World’s Key Waterways
Recent incidents highlight the growing trend of state-backed militias being used to unofficially project power on the high seas
Chinese fishing vessels near Whitsun Reef, which is disputed between China and the Philippines. Vessels tied together, or rafting, is a gray-zone tactic to establish semi-permanent floating outposts. Source
On December 10, 2023, two Philippine ships accompanied by a coast guard vessel embarked on a resupply mission to the BRP Sierra Madre, a naval vessel-turned-naval outpost on the Second Thomas Shoal. Manned by military personnel, the outpost serves to back Philippine claims of sovereignty over the shoal and the waters around the South China Sea, which China increasingly contests as its own. This resupply mission was not ordinary: Philippine Armed Forces (AFP) Chief of Staff General Romeo Brawner Jr. was on one of the vessels, demonstrating the seriousness of Manilla's sovereignty claims.
Large, blue-hulled Chinese fishing vessels – nearly 50 in total – and several white-hulled official Chinese coast guard vessels soon shadowed the Philippine convoy. The Chinese vessels came dangerously close to their Philippine counterparts as they attempted to block them from reaching the BRP Sierra Madre. The situation escalated when the Chinese vessels sprayed the Philippine ships with water cannons. A China Coast Guard vessel rammed the Philippine vessel carrying General Brawner. Further harassment ensued, causing severe damage to the engine of one of the Philippine vessels, forcing it to turn back.
General Brawner reached the BRP Sierra Madre successfully that day, witnessing first-hand the growing reports of harassment faced by his sailors in waters recognized by international law as belonging to the Philippines. Meanwhile, in waters over 4,200 miles to the west, attacks by Iran-backed Houthis on the Red Sea have disrupted global trade as other countries prepare to fund grey-zone maritime militias. Tehran is also planning to deploy militias to its territorial waters.
These and other developments highlight the growing threat unofficial maritime paramilitary groups pose at key strategic locations worldwide. With over 90% of all global trade done over the sea and much of this passing through strategic chokepoints prone to conflict spillover, maintaining these waterways and their resources is of growing concern to many countries. With much of this security burden increasingly falling upon these paramilitary forces, the risk of escalation on these key waterways continues to rise.
The BRP Sindagan, another resupply vessel, is surrounded by China's maritime militia forces in November 2023. Source
Global Maritime Risks on the Rise
Several emerging factors threaten global shipping and maritime travel at present. First among these is conflict spillover into the maritime sphere: The Houthis' actions in the Red Sea are a clear example of how conflict or war can manifest these risks outside an immediate conflict zone. According to the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI), conflict spillover could cause shipping costs to rise by as much as 60% and insurance costs by 20%. Moreover, spillover threats from the war in Ukraine have weighed heavily on merchant vessels in the Black Sea, affecting global grain prices and international food security.
The growing specter of nationalism and sovereignty disputes over territorial waters enhances maritime risks. While the China-Taiwan example is the most prominent, several other notable cases exist. The South China Sea has become a growing hotspot of tensions amid territorial and maritime disputes involving several countries. The UAE and Iran dispute control over three islands in the Strait of Hormuz. There are disputes over island claims between Russia and Japan and Greece and Turkey, and strategically important Pacific Island states are becoming zones of growing competition between the West and China. Piracy is also a factor, with severe flareups seen in parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America in recent decades.
Maritime resources such as oil and gas, minerals, and fisheries underpin many conflicts. The South China Sea reportedly contains over 190 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 11 billion barrels of oil. These strategically essential resources have resulted in increased espionage cases, with Chinese research vessels conducting surveys around sea beds within other countries' exclusive economic zones. International commercial fishing rights are also highly contested between countries, and vast unexplored regions that may be rife with resources could also become hotly contested in the coming years.
China's Little Blue Men and Other Paramilitary Naval Forces
This growing territorialization of the seas has caused several countries to develop unconventional forces tasked with safeguarding their sovereign claims and maintaining control over their sea lanes. China was the first to create such a force, setting an important precedent that has been emulated within its region and beyond.
China's maritime militia – the 'Little Blue Men' – was reportedly developed more than four decades ago and has become one of Southeast Asia's greatest maritime security threats. China operates professional maritime militia fishing vessels specifically designed and funded for militia use and regular fishing vessels that meet tonnage, size, and power requirements. These vessels reportedly number in the thousands and can travel longer distances and remain at sea longer than traditional fishing vessels. Water cannons, collision-absorbing rails, weapons, and ammunition stores are aboard many of these vessels. Some can span as long as 200 feet, dwarfing the coast guard vessels in many countries. Crewmembers aboard maritime militia vessels reportedly carry small arms, have military and intelligence training, and coordinate closely with official state agencies.
China's maritime militias reportedly engage in risky and aggressive tactics such as ramming, rafting, harassment, blockades, swarming, and others – all in violation of international legal statutes. Maritime militia vessels also regularly interfere with fishing activities, seabed exploration, supply missions, surveys, and other activities by other countries in their internationally recognized territorial waters, often in conjunction with the Chinese Coast Guard and naval forces.
The aggressive tactics of China's Maritime Militia have prompted other regional countries to sponsor similar unofficial marine forces. In 2001, Indonesia established community-run marine patrolling groups to help patrol its vast marine area of nearly 2.2 million square miles: almost 3,000 of these groups are registered with the government across 34 provinces today. Although these forces were initially set up primarily for domestic purposes, Indonesia has sought to modernize these fishing vessels and improve their coordination with the official state security apparatus in recent years. In 2020, Indonesia sent 120 fishermen to the Natuna Islands, an area rich in energy and commercial fishing resources that China claims. This deployment was primarily in response to increased tensions between Beijing and Jakarta over the Natunas and the presence of China Coastguard and maritime militia vessels in the area.
Similarly, the Philippines is forming a maritime militia in response to China's increasingly aggressive actions in the South China Sea. Last summer, AFP Chief of Staff General Brawner announced the government seeks to deploy naval reservists on vessels in disputed waters to bolster its maritime defense capabilities. According to an AFP admiral, around 85% of foreign ships that entered the Philippines' exclusive economic zone last summer were of Chinese origin.
China and Vietnam have a long history of maritime disputes. With South China Sea tensions in the South China Sea rising in recent years, Vietnam has also been developing maritime militia forces. Today, Vietnamese fishing vessels contain enhanced communications systems. Their crews receive small arms and combat training and work closely with the country's coast guard and other naval units.
"In wartime, the (maritime) Militia and Self-Defense Force becomes the strategic force in carrying out people's war…the core force…fighting the enemy…[and] taking part in combat and combat service."
– Vietnam's Ministry of Defense.
In Iran last December, the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Navy commander announced that the country would deploy its Basij militia to the oceans. This announcement comes amid heightened tensions on the Red Sea between the United States and its allies and Iranian-backed Houthi militias. The Iranian commander said Tehran has 55,000 militia personnel on 33,000 vessels that are reportedly armed with 107mm rockets across the Persian Gulf and plans to deploy additional forces to the Caspian Sea. Around 21% of the world's petroleum liquids pass through the Straits of Hormuz at the mouth of the Persian Gulf each year, and the Caspian Sea is also a significant energy production hub. Should Iran's maritime militias become engaged, the impact will likely be global.
A clash between Philippines and China at the Second Thomas Shoal, October 2022
Conclusion
Rising tensions on the world's high seas have given rise to maritime militias to help supplement official state security apparatuses. As tensions continue to mount, these paramilitary organizations will likely become more militarized while engaging in espionage. Used to project naval strength, their lack of international accountability makes them particularly dangerous: should we see an escalation result from an incident like one of the numerous ones seen to date, the risk of a broader escalation looms large over the world's most crucial waterways. Such an escalation could have profound consequences across the globe.
I have to admit, tactically, these pirates are very clever and ferocious.
However, I'd respect them more if they showed up wearing tri-corner hats, skull-and-crossbones gear, and parrots that say "Pieces of decimal coinage! Arr-arr! Polly want an organic cracker!"