The Pentagon will upgrade and expand military facilities in Guam and Australia.
Washington, USA:
The US military will increase deployments and bases targeting China and Russia, even as it maintains forces in the Middle East sufficient to deter Iran and jihadist groups, the Pentagon said on Thursday. Two are based on the results of an assessment.
The U.S. Department of Defense will upgrade and expand military facilities in Guam and Australia, officials said, highlighting China as its top defense adversary.
The details of the “global posture review,” conducted at the start of President Joe Biden’s administration earlier this year, will be kept secret, officials said, to do not reveal secrets to opponents or reveal secret plans to allies.
However, the assessment confirms that the US military’s priority area is the Indo-Pacific, said Mara Karlin, a top Pentagon policy official.
This assessment “directs additional cooperation with allies and partners in the region to advance initiatives that contribute to regional stability and deter potential military aggression from China and threats from North Korea,” she told reporters.
In addition, it “strengthens a credible deterrent against Russian aggression in Europe and enables NATO forces to operate more effectively,” she said.
On the other hand, the Middle East remains a suitable region for the Pentagon after protracted wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“We have a global responsibility and must ensure the readiness and modernization of our forces,” Karlin said.
“These considerations require us to make ongoing changes to our Middle East posture, but we always have the ability to rapidly deploy forces to the region based on the threatened environment. “
In particular, an unnamed senior Pentagon official downplayed any idea of radical change.
“In the first year of the administration, this is not the time when we will develop a major strategic shift to our posture,” the official said.
– Rebuilding trust –
However, the official said, the Biden team felt a review was necessary following the disruptive approach of his predecessor Donald Trump, who abruptly changed America’s commitments.
Under Trump, “Sometimes there is a reduction in the value of inputs and the involvement of allies and partners, which erodes the credibility and hard-won trust of the United States,” the official said.
The officials declined to answer questions about whether the global posture review saw the presence of US forces in conflict-ridden regions such as the Middle East, East Africa and West Africa, and Eastern Europe.
But it confirmed it had announced plans to do more in Guam and Australia, to strengthen its defenses against any threat from China.
“In Australia you’ll see new rotational fighter and bomber deployments, you’ll see ground forces train and increase logistics cooperation,” said Karlin.
In Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands and Australia there will also be upgrades to the airport and fuel and ammunition storage facilities, she said.
When asked if the review foresees a greater increase in the US presence in the Pacific region, Karlin said: “We’re moving a little bit.”
“And what I’d like to think is, in the coming years, you’re going to see that needle move a lot more,” she said.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from an aggregated feed.)
