The United States has announced a strategy to integrate its maritime forces, including its coastguard, to counter China’s growing presence in the contested South China Sea. The latest tri-service maritime strategy was the first since 2015, and came at a time when China and the US have been ramping up “grey zone” activities to project power below a threshold that could prompt a conventional military response. Little information was given on how exactly the coastguard would play a role in the South China Sea, but the US Coast Guard has a long history of ­involvement in US theatre ­security engagement in the ­region, such as taking part in training exercises between the US Pacific Fleet and Southeast Asian nations, said Dr Collin Koh, a Research Fellow at Singapore’s RSIS.  “This new tri-service maritime strategy essentially enshrines the pre-existing habits of cooperation and coordination, and serves as a guiding framework on how these US maritime forces work together and pool their strengths to ­counter China’s maritime ­activities.” he said.