Short Synopsis
An alarming message from an award-winning journalist with unprecedented access to the highest naval officers in America and China and their ships and weapons, this is a chilling look at the "warm war" over control of the South China Sea—one that is threatening to flare into full-scale conflict.

Full Synopsis
Out in the Pacific Ocean, there is a war taking place. It is a "warm war," a shoving match between the United States, since World War II the uncontested ruler of the seas, and China, which now possesses the world's largest navy. The Chinese regard the Pacific, and especially the South China Sea, as their ocean, and they're ready to defend it. Each day the heat between the two countries increases as the Chinese try to claim the South China Sea for their own, and the United States insists on asserting freedom of navigation. Throughout Southern Asia, countries such as Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and South Korea respond with outrage as China turns coral reefs into manmade islands capable of supporting airstrips and then attempts to enforce twelve-mile-radius, shoot-down zones. The immediate danger is that the five trillion dollars in international trade that passes through the area will grind to a standstill. The ultimate danger is that the U.S. and China will be drawn into all-out war.

In Crashback, journalist Michael Fabey describes how every year the U.S. is "losing sea." He predicts the next great struggle between military superpowers will play out in the Pacific, and his book, more than any other, is an accurate preview of how that conflict might unfold.

“Good on-the-ground (or, better, on-the-sea) reporting from both sides of the conflict. Fabey gives his Chinese sources a thorough workout, the little emperors and true believers alike, and he has a sharp eye for what faces the American fleet if push comes to shove.” ---Kirkus

"Crashback is a fascinating mix of well-reported fact and geopolitical analysis that illuminates critical strategic issues for the United States." ---Admiral James Stavridis, USN (ret.), former Supreme Commander, NATO, and author of Sea Power: The History and Geopolitics of the World's Oceans

"Brilliantly written and engaging . . . It takes exceptional knowledge and writing ability to convey this level of complexity with such clarity. From the flight deck to the Pentagon, Fabey shows us the gripping reality of a warm war that is turning hot." ---Tim Marshall, New York Times bestselling author of Prisoners of Geography