On Tuesday, a spokesperson for the U.S. Pacific Fleet said that a Chinese warship got close — too close — to the U.S. warship the USS Decatur in the South China Sea. Although this time nothing happened, a similar incident could easily cause a devastating accident and one that would escalate growing tensions between Beijing and Washington. If and when that happens, the U.S. needs to have a clear plan and be prepared to respond.

The USS Decatur was conducting a routine freedom of navigation exercise in the South China Sea where China has recently made aggressive moves to fortify islands and reefs and pursue territorial claims. The U.S. and its allies don’t recognize Chinese control of that part of the ocean and instead consider it international waters — hence the freedom of navigation exercise.