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In 2022, Aaron Delano-Johnson and Chris Bernotavicius wrote “A Plan to Push Back Against China’s Fishing Practices,” where they argued that illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing (IUUF) was a national security priority for the United States and the U.S. Coast Guard was well positioned to lead on the issue. Three years on, we asked them to reassess their argument.Image: Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Hillard via DVIDSIn your 2022 article, “A Plan to Push Back Against China’s Fishing Practices,” you argued the U.S. Coast Guard was well positioned to take the lead in fighting back against China’s illegal, unregulated, and underreported fishing (IUUF) practices. Given shifts in world events and competing U.S. priorities, how do you still maintain that IUUF is a priority for the United States and that the Coast Guard is the ideal lead agency? Were any strategic opportunities missed during 2017–2021 when Chinese fishing fleets were rapidly expanding their operations near U.S. allies in the Indo-Pacific? Is there anything you would change about your original argument? World events, including the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and developments in the Middle East, can appear more urgent in terms of risk and strategic focus for the United States. Nonetheless, our point was that unchecked IUUF represents a risk not just to natural resources and economic development, but also to the rules-based international order. The rights of coastal states derive from a consensus-based approach developed across the global community. Just as the international economic system provides a framework for international trade, the rights of coastal states to manage their seabed and economic resources provide a framework for development. If anything, our argument for the primacy of the U.S. Coast Guard is stronger in light of competing demands for military resources. It is more vital than ever to assign resources and match