Excerpt from the Executive Summary:

 

During the period 8-9 December 2010, the United States Naval War College (NWC) in Newport, Rhode Island hosted the Global Shipping Game (GSG). The GSG was developed and executed at the direction of the Chief of Naval Operations (CNO). The purpose of the GSG was to explore strategic-level implications as a result of future changes in global shipping patterns.

 

The CNO directed the NWC to develop a game that would explore changes in economic and trade patterns within the context of two future scenarios: expansion of the Panama Canal in 2020 and increased access of commercial shipping through the Arctic by 2035.

 

After reviewing the research literature, the GSG was honed to explore two overarching research questions based on the CNO’s areas of interest: What are the broad, strategic security implications for the United States posed by projected changes in shipping patterns as a result of the Panama Canal expansion? What are the broad, strategic security implications for the United States posed by projected changes in shipping patterns as a result of the opening of the Arctic?

 

In addition to the two primary research questions, the GSG also examined the following two subsidiary questions:

 

What, if any, are the impacts to U.S. security interests for failing to ratify the United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Treaty based on projected changes in shipping patterns as a result of either the Panama Canal expansion or the opening of the Arctic?

 

What challenges, if any, will expansion of the Panama Canal or the opening of the Arctic present to U.S. naval forces engaged in ensuring the free flow of goods at sea while maintaining forward global presence?

 

Global Shipping Game report (PDF)

The CNO directed the NWC to develop a game that would explore changes in economic and trade patterns within the context of two future scenarios: expansion of the Panama Canal in 2020 and increased access of commercial shipping through the Arctic by 2035.

They should also explore the closing of the South China Sea.