{"id":7249,"date":"2010-06-05T17:38:21","date_gmt":"2010-06-06T02:08:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/?p=7249"},"modified":"2010-06-05T17:38:21","modified_gmt":"2010-06-06T02:08:21","slug":"gates-describes-u-s-military-strategy-in-asia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/?p=7249","title":{"rendered":"Gates describes U.S. military strategy in Asia"},"content":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.defense.gov\/news\/newsarticle.aspx?id=59503<\/a><\/p>\n

Gates Describes U.S. Approach to Deterrence in Asia<\/h2>\n

By John D. Banusiewicz<\/p>\n

American Forces Press Service<\/p>\n

SINGAPORE, June 5, 2010 \u2013 A U.S. defense posture in Asia that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable is necessary in deterring conflict in today\u2019s world, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today.<\/p>\n

Gates addressed the first plenary session of the ninth annual \u201cShangri-La Dialogue,\u201d an Asia security summit organized by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.<\/p>\n

Conventional military bases, Gates said, are not the sole yardstick for measuring the U.S. presence in the region and its associated impact and influence. \u201cRather,\u201d he said, \u201cwe must think about U.S. \u2018presence\u2019 in the broader sense of what we achieve in the region: the connections made, the results accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, he explained, includes the work of medical teams and engineers, as well as partner militaries that are more professional and capable of contributing to international efforts to deal with the most vexing challenges the United States and its Asian partners face.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese kinds of activities reflect a priority of the overall United States security strategy: to prevent and deter conflict by better [employing] and integrating all elements of our national power and international cooperation,\u201d the secretary said. \u201cAs we have learned, military capabilities are critically important, but by themselves, [they] do not deter conflict. Sustained diplomatic, economic and cultural ties also play vital roles in maintaining stability and improving relationships.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe history of the past 60 years in this part of the world,\u201d he continued, \u201chas proven that historic tensions can be overcome, instability can be avoided, and strategic rivalries are not inevitable.\u201d<\/p>\n

The U.S. approach to its policy in Asia and its overall defense posture has been shaped by a series of strategy reviews over the past year, Gates said. \u201cThese reviews were shaped by a bracing dose of realism, and in a very sober and clear-eyed way assessed risks, set priorities, made tradeoffs, and identified requirements based on plausible real-world threats, scenarios and potential adversaries.\u201d<\/p>\n

An effective and affordable U.S. defense posture, the secretary explained, requires a broad and versatile portfolio of military capabilities across the widest possible spectrum of conflict. With regard to Asia, he said, the United States is increasing its deterrent capabilities in the region.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst, we are taking serious steps to enhance our missile defenses with the intent to develop capabilities in Asia that are flexible and deployable \u2013 tailored to the unique needs of our allies and partners and able to counter the clear and growing ballistic missile threats in the region,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The United States is renewing its commitment to a strong and effective deterrence that guarantees the safety of the American people and the defense of its allies and partners, Gates said. President Barack Obama is committed to reducing the role of nuclear weapons in the quest for a world without them, he noted. \u201cBut as long as these weapons exist,\u201d he added, \u201cwe will maintain a safe, secure and effective nuclear arsenal.\u201d<\/p>\n

The forward presence of substantial U.S. forces is another example of the strong U.S. commitment and deterrent power in the region, as has been the case for six decades, Gates said, though a global posture review scheduled to be completed by the year\u2019s end already has made one general trend clear.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe U.S. defense posture in Asia is shifting to one that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable,\u201d he said. \u201cThe buildup on Guam is part of this shift, as well as the agreement reached on basing with Japan \u2013 an agreement that fittingly comes during the 50th anniversary of our mutual security alliance and transcends any individual policymaker.\u201d Plans call for more than 8,000 U.S. Marines to move to Guam from the Japanese island of Okinawa by 2014, and for a U.S. Marine air base on Okinawa to relocate on the island.<\/p>\n

Gates noted that the economic growth and political development the Asia-Pacific region has enjoyed over the last several decades was not a foregone conclusion.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather,\u201d he said, \u201cit was enabled by clear choices about the enduring principles that we all believe are essential to peace, prosperity and stability.\u201d Those principles, he said, include:<\/p>\n

— Free and open commerce;<\/p>\n

— A just international order that emphasizes rights and responsibilities of nations and fidelity to the rule of law;<\/p>\n

— Open access by all to the global commons of sea, air, space, and now, cyberspace; and<\/p>\n

— The principle of resolving conflict without the use of force.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimply put,\u201d he said, \u201cpursuing our common interests has increased our common security. Today, the Asia-Pacific region is contending with new and evolving challenges, from rising powers and failing states to the proliferation of nuclear and ballistic missiles, extremist violence and new technologies that have the ability to disrupt the foundations of trade and commerce on which Asia\u2019s economic stability depends.\u201d<\/p>\n

Confronting those threats, he told the delegates, is not the responsibility of a single nation acting alone.<\/p>\n

\u201cRather,\u201d he said, \u201cour collective response will test our commitments to the principles I just mentioned \u2013 principles that are key to the region\u2019s continued prosperity. In this, all of us have responsibilities we must fulfill, since all will bear the costs of instability as well as the rewards of international cooperation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

http:\/\/www.defense.gov\/news\/newsarticle.aspx?id=59503 Gates Describes U.S. Approach to Deterrence in Asia By John D. Banusiewicz American Forces Press Service SINGAPORE, June 5, 2010 \u2013 A U.S. defense posture in Asia that is more geographically distributed, operationally resilient and politically sustainable is necessary in deterring conflict in today\u2019s world, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said here today. Gates … <\/p>\n

Continue reading “Gates describes U.S. military strategy in Asia”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[56],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7249","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7249"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7249"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7249\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7251,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7249\/revisions\/7251"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dmzhawaii.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}