Asia - US presence evolves in Southeast Asia

WASHINGTON - Impending budget cuts, lingering regional perceptions of United States imperialism and misbehavior by Asia-deployed US troops have made "base" a four-letter word in much of Southeast Asia.

But as Washington puts renewed strategic priority on the region, new flexible arrangements bid to allow the US military to regain a footing without stirring nationalist sentiments.

Many Southeast Asian countries welcome the US military's presence, especially in light of China's provocations and assertive claims to contested areas in the South China Sea. Yet any hint of allowing the US to establish permanent bases resembling those in Okinawa, Japan, or the former Clark Air Base in the Philippines have been rejected out of hand by lawmakers.

The US plans to reinforce its military presence in Southeast Asia as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan wind down and counterbalancing China's rise assumes policy precedence. The modus operandi for the expansion will focus on joint exercises, rotations, and stationing and docking agreements that avoid the establishment of costly bases.

Agreements with Australia and Singapore are the model for the new US posture in the region. The US has plans in four different locations in Australia in what is emerging as Washington's most dynamic bilateral military relationship in the region.

In Brisbane, a new Australian fleet base will be able to accommodate visits from US warships and submarines. In Perth, the expansion of the HMAS Stirling naval base will accommodate visits by US aircraft carriers, as well as warships and submarines. In Darwin, as many as 2,500 US marines are expected to participate in rotational deployments. In the Cocos (Keeling) Islands, located halfway between Australia and Sri Lanka, an airfield is expected to be upgraded for P-8 surveillance aircraft and Global Hawk drones.

The US also intends to station four new US Navy Littoral Combat ships and increase ship visits and base surveillance aircraft in Singapore. In addition, upgraded military relations with Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei will support already existing US plans with Australia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Whereas the US's regional focus has long concentrated on Northeast Asia, that gaze is now shifting somewhat to Southeast Asia. In a briefing on Asia-Pacific military issues in Washington on January 27, Admiral Robert Willard of the US Pacific Command said, "I look at where the forces are and where they need to be present day to day, we are biased in Northeast Asia. And when we look at Southeast Asia and South Asia, the pressure is on Pacific Command to deploy and sustain forces there day to day."

He added "initiatives such as Australia offered, or such as Singapore offered, to allow us to rotate forces from locations that are closer and more adjacent to Southeast Asia affords Pacific Command the opportunity to more conveniently have its presence there and felt, and not rely so terribly much on sustainment at great cost in the region… but there's no aspiration for bases in Southeast Asia."

The refocus on Southeast Asia is a subcomponent of President Barack Obama's "strategic pivot" to the Asia-Pacific in 2011. The policy pivot has involved signing onto the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia, establishment of a mission to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in Jakarta, confirmation of a special representative and policy coordinator for Myanmar, and a deepening of US bilateral relations with different regional nations.

In that same spirit of engagement, the US participated for the first time as a full-fledged member of the East Asian Summit in November 2011 in Bali, Indonesia. The initiatives have helped to counter earlier official perceptions in Southeast Asia that the US neglected the region in favor of pursuit of its global "war on terrorism" and more strategically volatile Northeast Asia.

Philippine pivot point

The key rung to the US strategy in Southeast Asia is the Philippines, a former US colony where it maintained two strategic military bases, Clark Air Base and Subic Naval Base, from after World War II until 1991, when the Philippine Senate voted to reject a new treaty for the bases. In 1999, the Philippines-US Visiting Forces Agreement came into effect that governs the conduct of visiting US forces, especially during military exercises.

This agreement has served as a sort of substitute for the two former bases since US troops may be deployed in the country for so-called "training" exercises. Since 1998, US troops have participated in regular and recurring military exercises in the Philippines involving as many as 5,000 troops, In November 2002, the Philippines agreed to allow the US to store and pre-position equipment in the country.

In the context of the "war on terror", the agreements with the Philippines have also allowed the US to deploy unmanned drones to help the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) locate Abu Sayyaf hideouts in the remote southern island of Mindanao. This was exhibited in February 2012 when a sensor placed in an Abu Sayyaf and Jemaah Islameeyah (JI) hideout by local villagers provided US unmanned drones with the location of the terrorists' hideout.

Subsequently, the Philippines Air Force conducted an air strike that killed JI leaders Zulkifli bin Hir and Muawayah, Abu Sayyaf leader Gumbahali Jumdail, and 12 other Abu Sayyaf fighters. The most prominent of the US unmanned drone facilities in the Philippines is the "Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P)," headquartered in Zamboanga but with operations throughout Mindanao.

After the drone-assisted February operation, certain Philippine lawmakers have complained about the US's use of drones in Philippine territory. The uncertainty about the US presence in the Philippines is indicative of the complications the US faces throughout the region. Allegations of abuse by US servicemen are frequently reported in the Philippines, including a high profile rape case in 2006 involving a US Lance Corporal and local Filipina that resulted in a conviction.

While these criminal actions have proven to be the exception to the rule, locals consistently cite such examples as the reason why a US presence is unwelcome near their villages. There are also fears in the pristine Philippine island of Palawan that the US presence is less to preserve security than for US commercial interests to begin exploration for oil and gas and other minerals.

In January 2012, Philippine defense officials visited Washington for strategic talks and left with an agreement to increase cooperation in areas including maritime security, defense, commerce, and disaster relief. While a "rotating" and "frequent" US presence was discussed, the issue of establishing any type of permanent bases was not on the agenda.

New strategic priorities, including counterbalancing China's rise and security over vital waterways like the South China Sea, has prompted a renewed US focus on Southeast Asia. While many Southeast Asian countries complained of US "neglect" in the 2000's, now the discussion is quickly shifting towards whether new US emphasis, intended to allow for a lighter but more versatile footprint, will eventually lead to more calm or conflict in the region.

Jacob Zenn

Asia Times

Business & Investment Opportunities 
YourVietnamExpert is a division of Saigon Business Corporation Pte Ltd, Incorporated in Singapore since 1994. As Your Business Companion, we propose a range of services in Strategy, Investment and Management, focusing Healthcare and Life Science with expertise in ASEAN. We also propose Higher Education, as a bridge between educational structures and industries, by supporting international programmes. Many thanks for visiting www.yourvietnamexpert.com and/or contacting us at contact@yourvietnamexpert.com