Philippines and Vietnam's South China Sea strategies have failed

Derek Grossman is a senior defense analyst at the think tank RAND Corp. in Santa Monica, California, and an adjunct professor in the practice of political science and international relations at the University of Southern California. He formerly served as an intelligence adviser at the Pentagon.

In the words of the Philippine Navy spokesperson, the events of June 17 represented "the most aggressive action ever conducted by agents of aggression of [the] Chinese communist party in the South China Sea." Rear Admiral Roy Vincent Trinidad wasn't exaggerating.