No Way Out Naval Power in Action with CAPT Brent Sadler, USN (Ret.)
Oct 17, 2025
CAPT Brent Sadler, a retired U.S. Navy Captain and Senior Fellow at the Heritage Foundation, dives into maritime strategy and U.S.-China relations. He discusses the transition from linear to adaptive military planning, critiques current U.S. shipbuilding deficiencies, and emphasizes the need for a modern Naval Act. Sadler highlights China's maritime insurgency tactics, the significance of historical grievances in their strategy, and urgent timelines regarding Taiwan. His insights draw from extensive personal and professional experiences in the Asia-Pacific.
AI Snips
Chapters
Books
Transcript
Episode notes
From Phases To A Spectrum Of Rivalry
- PACOM shifted from linear phase-based planning to a non-linear "spectrum of rivalry" blending peacetime campaigning with warfighting.
- Captain Brent Sadler credits this approach with complicating Chinese calculations and changing DoD thinking.
China Has Waged A Long Non-Kinetic War
- Sadler argues the U.S. is already in a multifaceted war with China that started after Tiananmen in 1989.
- This war spans economic, diplomatic, informational, and societal domains rather than just kinetic conflict.
West Kapala: Presence Protecting Partner Economies
- The 2020 West Kapala incident showed naval presence tied explicitly to protecting partner economic rights can shift regional politics.
- Persistent presence plus aggressive diplomacy produced ASEAN polling swings favoring the U.S.
