Proclaiming its fate to be strongly tied to
Asia, the United States unveiled on Saturday detailed plans to build and
strengthen its military presence in the region. Time will tell whether the
growing US presence becomes a positive force for the peace, development and
prosperity of Asia, or simply heightens the tensions in a region already
convoluted by an arms race.
Asia is
increasingly caught in the paradox of prosperity: as countries become more
prosperous, they spend proportionally more of their new wealth on defense. They
go on massive shopping sprees not only because they can afford to but mostly
because they want to protect their economic interests to ensure sustainable
growth and development.
Budgetary
constraints dictated that US President Barack Obama draw down on the US’
military operations and presence in the Middle East and Europe but not in Asia,
where China’s military is increasingly challenging US power and influence,
though not necessarily yet its dominance.
In a
much anticipated speech, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said at the Shangri-La Dialogue
in Singapore on Saturday that the US would deploy more aircraft carriers,
cruisers, destroyers, submarines and combat ships, carrying the most advanced
technology and weapons, in Asia as part of what he called the rebalancing of
the US military to Asia.
If the
US naval deployment in the past had been equally divided between the Pacific
and Atlantic oceans, the Asian “pivot” will shift it 60/40 in the Pacific’s
favor. The new policy not only calls for more frequent port calls and military
exercises in the Pacific but also for beefing up the presence in Japan, Guam
and northern Australia and for securing more access to military facilities in
other friendly countries.
Under
the plan, the US military will have the ability to project its forces anywhere
in Asia. Washington has a vested interest in securing the safety of commerce
and access to natural resources and has called on countries in Asia to respect
freedom of navigation.
The new
US policy seeks to strengthen ties through traditional alliances, such as with
Japan, South Korea, Australia, Thailand and the Philippines, and also through
partnerships with countries like Indonesia and India. Panetta also said the US
was seeking to build military-to-military relations with China and Myanmar.
With the
center of global economic gravity shifting to the Asia-Pacific region, the US
interests are inextricably linked to the fortunes of this part of the world.
But Asia is also home to some of the world’s potential flashpoints: the
tensions on the Korean Peninsula and across the Taiwan Strait, the Kashmir
dispute between nuclear-powers India and Pakistan, the overlapping territorial
claims involving China in the South China Sea and the North China Sea.
The
ongoing arms race has only intensified some of these tensions. Almost all the
littoral states are investing heavily in strengthening their naval forces,
taking their lead from China, signifying their intention to secure their
maritime interests, from the safe passage of commercial vessels to the control
of or access to the potentially big prize of rich underwater natural resources,
including oil and gas reserves.
The new
US policy comes amid growing tensions between China and the Philippines as both
seek to assert their claim over the gas-rich Scarborough Shoal in the South
China Sea. Responding to a question at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Panetta said
the US would not interfere in any territorial disputes but it would insist that
such disputes and any others be resolved in a peaceful manner and in accordance
with international laws.
In
spite of the military buildup by the US and the arms race among Asian
countries, their governments profess to put diplomacy first in resolving their
disputes. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China are currently
working on a binding code of conduct to address conflicting territorial claims
in the South China Sea. Besides the Philippines, China also has disputes with
Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam in the region.
Indonesian
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in his keynote address to the Shangri-La
Dialogue on Friday noted the evolution of a new security architecture in the
Asia Pacific, not so much by design as by the proliferation of bilateral and
multilateral cooperation agreements among countries in the region. He described
these and the many joint military exercises as important confidence-building
measures that would also help to eliminate the distrust often sowed by disputes
and the rising tensions. They have certainly helped to keep peace in the
region.
Yudhoyono
repeated Indonesia’s proposal for a joint military exercise involving
Indonesia, China and the US for humanitarian operations, recalling the massive
international military deployment in the largest peacetime military operation
in the wake of the deadly tsunami in Indonesia in 2004.
Asia-Pacific
countries are also engaging actively even as virtually everyone is building up
their military capability. In the absence of the equivalent of NATO, Asia has
several forums in which the member states have addressed their common security
problems and challenges, such as the Shangri-La Dialogue organized by the
London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the ASEAN Regional
Forum, the ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting Plus and the East Asian Summit that
involves 18 countries, including the US and Russia.
While
the military buildup by countries in the region, including the US, seems the
inevitable outcome of Asia’s rising economic prosperity, few are contemplating
ever using their sophisticated and deadly weapons against their enemies,
knowing full well that if anyone fired the first salvo, it could completely
derail and undo all the progress of the entire region.
As
ironic as it may seem, in this context, many countries in the region welcome
the stronger US military presence in Asia to further guarantee their peace and
prosperity.
Endy
Bayuni
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