The United States is seeking to beef up its armed forces in the Pacific in order to Å“counter threats” in the region, according to a report.
Å“Pentagon leaders are seeking to place the Air Force, Navy and Marines in dominant roles to counter threats in the Asia-Pacific region, which they have deemed to be the nation’s next big national security challenge,” The Washington Post said in a report on Monday.
Å“The Army is launching an ambitious campaign to transform itself and assert its relevance in the Pacific,” it said.
US Gen. Vincent Brooks, the new top Army commander in the Pacific, wants his forces to Å“more quickly and effectively respond to small conflicts, isolated acts of aggression and natural disasters.”
The American general, who called the initiative Å“Pacific Pathways,” is trying to make his forces Å“more maritime and expeditionary.”
General Brooks is seeking authorization to Å“send key elements of a US-based infantry brigade to Asia and keep them there for months at a time, moving every few weeks to different nations to conduct training exercises,” the report explained.
Brooks said he wants Å“a capable force that can respond to a variety of contingencies” rapidly.
Å“Forces that are already in motion have an advantage in responding,” he said.
Å“We can no longer afford to build [combat] units and put them on a shelf to be used only in the event of war,” the generalâ„¢s command wrote in an internal planning document.
Washingtonâ„¢s military build-up around China has infuriated officials in Beijing.
China is considering the Pentagonâ„¢s focus to Å“pivot” increased US military presence in the Pacific as a strategy to counter Chinaâ„¢s increasing global influence.
Last month, China established an air defense zone over the East China Sea, urging airlines to inform the Chinese government upon entering the region.
The United States, however, has said it will not recognize the defense zone. The US also flew two B-52 bombers over the zone to challenge China.
AGB/AGB
Source: Press TV