Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and the U.S. Pacific Command
Having already speculated on the roles that SoS Clinton and SoT Geithner may play in the formulation of a grand strategy for the Asia-Pacific, it is time to discuss the role of SoD Gates, who I believe is essentially the third leg upon which a grand strategy will stand on. By extension, I want to discuss U.S. Pacific Command because of its overwhelming influence on the underlying security in the Asia-Pacific theater.
One of the reasons for the dramatic economic growth experienced in the Asia-Pacific is due to the fact that the U.S. has maintained a dominant military presence in the regions waters, with bases and/or allies forming a pacifying security net that links South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, Guam, and Australia. This has provided the underlying security for economic connectivity to flourish since the Second World War, especially as China opened up to these economic links. Over time, U.S. Pacific Command has expanded formal exchanges with officers in militaries outside our traditional allies to further establish the foundational links and relationships that ensure peace, such as the Western Pacific Naval Symposium, the Asia-Pacific Area Network and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Planting these seeds of cooperation and collaboration will prove critical as China's naval capabilities increase to the point that a multi-nation maritime security regime will be possible.
In other words, the State and Treasury Departments will require the Defense Department to continue on this course of regional stability in the Asia-Pacific so that they can pursue their policy initiatives without the backdrop of military conflict. Continuing isolation of the North Korea problem will be part of the underlying security framework that is part of the overall grand strategy.
In July of last year, the U.S. Pacific Command approach and role was described quite well in an article titled "Pre-eminence, Partnerships Define U.S. Policy in Pacific:"
"The top U.S. commander in the Pacific has two buzzwords for U.S. military policy in the region: pre-eminence and partnerships."
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"Keating said he wants everyone – friends, allies and potential foes alike – to understand that the United States is the big dog on the block.
""We are the pre-eminent force in the theater, and we will so remain for the near, mid and long term," he said. "So that is an issue with which they need concern themselves."
"But while emphasizing U.S. power, Keating said, he emphasizes the importance of partnerships in keeping the Asia-Pacific region secure. "We do not want to project the image of going it alone in the Pacific," he said. "Quite the contrary. We want to take advantage of the very strong bilateral relationships we enjoy and expand those to multilateral relationships."
***************************************************************************************************************"He said he’s struck by the sense among Asia-Pacific countries that the United States has become "the indispensible element" they depend on to ensure regional stability. "It wasn’t necessarily that way when I was going to meetings listening to Admiral Crowe," he said.
"Whether through formal alliances or partnerships, regional nations recognize the value of their relationships not just with the United States, but also with each other, he said.
"That recognition is evident in the growth of military exercise and military-to-military exchanges. The Rim of the Pacific exercise currently under way -- with more than 40 ships, six submarines, 150 aircraft and servicemembers from 10 nations -- holds the title as the world’s largest military exercise, Keating said. Five countries and observers from 10 others took part in the recent Cobra Gold exercise in Thailand that focused on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.
"The recent Malabar exercise in the Bay of Bengal brought together navies from five countries – the United States, Japan, Australia, Singapore and India – for training Keating called "unprecedented in scope and scale and technical challenge."
"Keating said he’s impressed to see countries in the region forming their own security relationships, with striking results. With training, radar systems and the technology used to integrate them, four countries are working together to enhance maritime security in the strategic Strait of Malacca, he noted. They operate with little direct day-to-day assistance from the United States, and have been able to bring down the incidence of maritime piracy in the region, he said.
""Across the entire region, we are emphasizing partnership," he said. “We are trying to put some teeth in it by encouraging those countries that might not be so anxious to deal with one another to join with us, and we will provide the umbrella under which we all operate.”
"Keating announced today that he and Chinese Lt. Gen. Zhang Qinsheng, commander of China’s Guangzhou Military Region, agreed last night to explore ways to exercise their forces together in a disaster relief scenario.
"He expressed hope that China will engage with more countries in the region rather than feel threatened by their partnerships.
""We are not looking to surround you," Keating said he told Chinese senior leaders. “We want to draw you out and not fence you in.""
As a day-to-day, or even strategy level, supply chain manager, you may not immediately recognize it but the above presence allows ever greater supply chain sophistication across the Asia-Pacific as say compared with regions like Afghanistan and Pakistan where supply chains at their most basic are incredibly difficult to maintain, let alone improve.
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Essentially, since SoD Gates has overseen this work since being part of the Bush Administration, expect him to express continued support for this strategy. The direction President Obama decides to take his administration will need to factor this in for the ultimate decisions on formulating his grand strategy for the Asia-Pacific. In a recent article in Foreign Affairs, SoD Gates wrote:
"In world affairs, "what seems to work best," the historian Donald Kagan wrote in his book On the Origins of War and the Preservation of Peace, ". . . is the possession by those states who wish to preserve the peace of the preponderant power and of the will to accept the burdens and responsibilities required to achieve that purpose." I believe the United States' National Defense Strategy provides a balanced approach to meeting those responsibilities and preserving the United States' freedom, prosperity, and security in the years ahead."
Note: My upcoming posts on the U.S. Trade Representative nominee, Ron Kirk, and the Council of Economic Advisors nominees will come after they have been confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
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