HONOLULU, July 17, 2024—The Indo-Pacific region has witnessed increasingly aggressive behavior from China over the past few years, particularly after military talks between China and the U.S. broke down in 2022. Now, more than ever, the U.S. and its allies view presence and readiness as the keys to deterring China from taking more aggressive actions in the region. Optimizing the military readiness of aircraft and ground support equipment and ensuring bases and systems remain prepared for any challenge has become a key pillar of what the Department of Defense is calling its “Pacific Deterrence” strategy. Managing corrosion is a foundational requirement for readiness.
The Strategic Importance of the Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is home to more than half the world’s population, encompassing the nations and islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, including U.S. territories. The Indo-Pacific accounts for up to 60 percent of the global GDP and is an essential driver of America’s prosperity, bringing in over $900 billion in foreign direct investment. However, this region is becoming increasingly unstable as China flexes its presence through military and economic coercion.
As of 2024, China has expanded its military exercises and assertive territorial claims, especially in contested areas like the South China Sea and Taiwan Strait. They have created militarized artificial islands in disputed regions, intensified diplomatic pressure, and conducted economic coercion on surrounding nations. The Philippines and Vietnam have faced increased incidents of ships being seized and aircraft intercepted in open ocean and airspace. In response, the U.S. is working with its allies, including Australia, Japan, the Republic of Korea, the Philippines, and Thailand, to maintain their military readiness in the region and achieve a “free and open Indo-Pacific.”
This June, the Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center-Exportable (JPMRC), a training operated by the U.S. Army designed to prepare units from the U.S. and our ally nations for complex operations in the Indo-Pacific, was held in the Philippines. The U.S. Army Pacific commander, Gen. Charles Flynn, explained at LANPAC 2024 that they have been tying in their joint exercises into “a logical and sequential framework” named Operation Pathways for a decade to “promote our unity and collective commitment.”
The increased military tension in the Indo-Pacific is partly due to the lack of military communication between the U.S. and China. In 2022, Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan in support of its independence angered China, leading to the discontinuation of military communication. Fortunately, in May 2024, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Chinese Defense Minister Dong Jun met to attempt to restore relations. Renewing communication will help prevent miscalculations and unnecessary military escalation, but this long-term project requires significant effort from both sides and rests on a fragile relationship.
Military readiness of the U.S. and its allies is viewed as the best deterrence in the current situation. Military readiness is the ability to activate forces at a moment’s notice to meet mission demands, whether for combat or humanitarian support.
Bradley Bowman, a senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), mentions in an article for Defense One the importance of military readiness in the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM).
“It’s defending Guam from missile attack, it’s hardening cyber network defenses, it’s missile warning and tracking, it’s space sensors, it’s undersea targeting, it’s resilient warfighting architecture, it’s a joint fires network, it’s missiles,” Bowman said. “These are exactly the things we need to make defense planners in Beijing think twice before they launch unprovoked aggression against Taiwan.”
Readiness for Indo-Pacific Deterrence
The readiness of military equipment, such as aircraft and ground equipment, faces significant challenges from corrosion in the Indo-Pacific region. Corrosion impacts any metal component – and for aircraft, that could lead to the deterioration of the aircraft’s airworthiness. Corrosion can be initiated by any type of moisture penetration such as humid air, seawater, and various atmospheric conditions. Undetected corrosion weakens structural integrity, potentially leading to catastrophic failures and compromising flight safety.
While traditional coatings are available, they tend to be highly toxic for applicators and become porous over time, allowing moisture penetration. As maintenance cycles are frequent, the U.S. Department of Defense spends over $20 billion annually on corrosion maintenance. This cost puts additional stress on the already underfunded USINDOPACOM budget to defend Hawaii, Guam, and other ally nations from threats. The corrosion maintenance fees eat up unfunded priorities, including weapons, technology, and military exercises to better familiarize USINDOPACOM forces with operations in the Pacific.
Plus, maintenance itself is lengthy, so at any given time, the number of mission-ready aircraft is far from optimal. In 2023, the Government Accountability Office reported that some strike fighter fleets had mission-capable rates of only 55 percent, largely due to maintenance needs.
To combat corrosion, Oceanit developed the AeroPel Nanocomposite Protective Layer (NPL). This water-based, chrome-free treatment mitigates corrosion by creating an omniphobic surface. AeroPel repels moisture, fluids, and oil-based substances by creating a robust nano-level barrier. It is non-toxic and far simpler than traditional CIC products, which are known to cause health issues and pose environmental hazards due to their disposal regulations.
AeroPel and Lockheed Martin Partner to Fight Corrosion
To support Indo-Pacific military readiness, Oceanit is collaborating with Lockheed Martin to deploy AeroPel on aircraft and ground support equipment. The collaboration began with the U.S. Air Force in January 2024. AeroPel was selected as a practical solution for corrosion protection at forward operating bases, thereby improving military readiness.
Defense One covered the benefits of this partnership for the Pacific Deterrence Initiative (PDI) in a July article. The PDI, funded by Congress for the Indo-Pacific Command’s defense, will benefit from AeroPel NPL as it helps reduce enormous maintenance costs, allowing for increased mission-capable rates and shorter downtimes.
“This partnership will supercharge the deployment of AeroPel to solve mission-critical maintenance problems and create an immediate impact on operational readiness for the Department of Defense,” said Dr. Patrick Sullivan, CEO of Oceanit.
Oceanit and Lockheed Martin’s work on AeroPel is crucial at a time when readiness can mean the difference between peace and conflict in the Indo-Pacific. AeroPel addresses the costly challenge of corrosion, ensuring the operational readiness of military assets with superior, non-toxic protection. This partnership underscores the importance of innovative solutions in maintaining national security and preparing the U.S. and its allies for any challenge.
Other articles that have mentioned AeroPel include, Material Performance, Statnano, Cover365.
