Drones, Buoys and Beyond: China's Expanding Use of Unmanned and Unconventional Naval Assets along the First Island Chain

YCAPS is excited to announce the next event in the Community Conversations seminar series in the Iwakuni Community! This event will feature Dr. Benjamin Blandin, Visiting Research Fellow, Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR), who will guide us in a discussion looking at China's expanding use of unconventional and unmanned naval assets.

This briefing examines the rapid expansion of China’s use of unmanned and unconventional maritime assets across the First Island Chain and increasingly in extra-regional theatres, including the Indian, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

Our speaker will analyze how these platforms—combined with civilian, paramilitary, and dual-use actors—support a broader strategy designed to operate in the grey zone, challenge existing maritime norms, and complicate traditional deterrence frameworks.

The presentation will highlight operational patterns, strategic intent, and emerging risks, with a particular focus on escalation management, attribution challenges, and the implications for regional security actors.

Key discussion points:

• The strategic logic behind China’s use of unmanned and unconventional systems
• Integration of civilian, paramilitary, and military maritime actors
• Operational deployment patterns across key theatres
• Implications for deterrence, maritime security, and regional stability

This event is free and open to all in the Iwakuni and surrounding communities. refreshments will be provided.

Registration (optional) at this Google form.

Schedule:

• 17:45-18:30: Reception
• 18:30-19:45 - Presentation and Q&A
• 19:45-20:00 - Optional light networking/wrap up

Location:

Atago Sports Complex - Lotus Cultural Center: 2nd Floor Multi-Purpose Room

2 Chome Atagomachi, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi 740-0037

https://www.city.iwakuni.lg.jp/soshiki/19/28779.html

Google Maps

Speaker:

Dr. Benjamin Blandin is a French scholar specializing in China’s asymmetric warfare along the First Island Chain, with a particular focus on unmanned and unconventional maritime systems and the use of civilian and paramilitary auxiliaries. He is currently a Visiting Research Fellow at Taiwan’s Institute for National Defense and Security Research (INDSR) and previously worked as a Senior Consultant at Airbus Defence and Space. He holds a PhD in Political Science (Geopolitics) from the Paris Catholic University (ICP) and a Master’s degree in Geopolitics from the French Institute of Geopolitics (IFG), and has received advanced training in maritime security, strategy, and international maritime law at Paris Military Academy (IHEDN, CESM), and ITLOS.

Format: This event will be off-the-record

Registration: Optional at this link
Moderators: Nick Milward and Anthony Boccia
Seminar Cost: Free of charge