Dag Henriksen is a Lt Col at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. He is a Professor in military studies, and has a PhD from the University of Glasgow, UK. He has published NATO's Gamble: Combining Diplomacy and Airpower in the Kosovo Crisis, 1998–1999 (2007); Airpower in Afghanistan 2005–2010: The Air Commanders' Perspectives (2013); Political Rationale and International Consequences of the War in Libya (2016); and The Air War in Ukraine – The First Year of Conflict (Routledge, 2024).Nina M. Bjørge is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. She has a master's degree in political science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, with a specialization in Norwegian foreign policy and international political economy. She has published on hybrid threats and warfare and on media representations of the Ukraine war, focusing on strategic narratives and media practices across traditional and digital platforms.Mari G. Bårdsen is an Assistant Professor at the Royal Norwegian Air Force Academy. She holds a master’s degree in political science from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, with specialization in international relations and advanced statistical data analysis.

• Introduction, Nina Møllerstuen Bjørge PART I: CHINA 1. China’s Grand Strategy: Impose U.S. Retrenchment, Jo Inge Bekkevold 2. China’s Military Strategy and the Enduring Taiwan Conundrum, Henrik Stålhane Hiim 3. China’s Air Power: Strategy, Capabilities and Ambitions, Justin Bronk 4. Chinese PLA Multi-Domain Operations: Cross-Domain Operations, All-Domain Operations, and Kill Chains, Jeffrey Engstrom PART II: THE UNITED STATES 5. The Elusiveness of the Pivot: The Evolution of America’s Indo-Pacific Strategy in the 21st Century and the Sino-U.S. Strategic Rivalry, Christopher K. Colley 6. U.S. Military Strategy: Three Scenarios for a Chinese Invasion of Taiwan, Jared M McKinney 7. U.S. Airpower: Strategy, Capabilities, and Ambitions, T. James Day 8. US Joint All-Domain Operations in the East and South China Sea: Strengths and Weaknesses, Cory S. Hollon PART III: REGIONAL ACTORS 9. Taiwan’s Strategy to Handle Confrontation with China, Zeno Leoni and Paweł Mazurek 10. Japan and the Regional Dynamics in the East and South China Seas, Keizo Kitagawa 11. South Korean Airpower: The Republic of Korea Air Force in a Hostile Neighborhood, Ian Bowers 12. Australia and the Regional Dynamics in the South and East China Seas, Andrew Dowse PART IV: ALLIANCES 13. War-Driven Russia–DPRK Strategic Convergence: Regional Implications and China’s Response, Zhao Long 14. NATO’s Emerging Approach to the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Drivers, Divisions, and Partnerships, Gorana Grgić 15. The Quad, David M. Andrews Epilogue: Strategy and Airpower in the East and South China Seas: A Multi-Domain Imperative, Mari Greta Bårdsen