The US has new old enemies.
With the gradual winding down of US operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, and also with relatively quick intervention for Libya in America, American Pentagon strategists will have to reconsider their global military-political strategy and look for new enemies that embody the world's evil, such as the DPRK, or start a confrontation with China gaining strength, has long begun to oust Americans from some regions, or at least actively trying to do it. These conclusions can be made on the basis of an analysis of statements by the US Secretary of Defense, which he made during his working visit to the South-East Asia region and his visit to Japan. From the statements made by the minister, it follows that the United States is not only not planning to reduce its diverse presence in South-East Asia, but is also going to increase it by deepening cooperation with the countries of the region.
Leon Panetta, in particular, said that as the US military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan were completed, the Pentagon would have to refocus in monitoring and preventing the growing threats to global security, such as building up the military power of the PRC. Apparently, the task of the first official visit of Minister Panetta to Japan was to convey to his main Asian allies and traditional opponents a new strategic concept of the USA and Barack Obama personally, which could be the answers to his opponents in the person of McCain and his party comrades. The basic essence of this concept is approximately as follows: The United States, in spite of the impending budget cuts, will certainly retain its status as a leading economic and military power. At the same time, the Asia-Pacific region is assigned one of the main roles in the concept of US national security.
During his visit to Japan, Panetta visited the US Air Force base in Yokot, where he answered questions from the American and Japanese military. The official presented to his listeners a list of threats requiring special attention from the United States after the complete withdrawal of troops from Iraqi territory and the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan scheduled for 2014. In his speech at the Panetta airbase, he also mentioned the threat of cyber attacks by government agencies, databases of special services and servers of major American companies. The minister did not pass over the topic of the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, which had already become “proprietary” among American politicians and top officials. A few words were said about the turmoil in the Arab world. However, the most interesting part was that of Panetta’s speech, which was devoted to certain “growing powers” of the region. What did the US Secretary of Defense mean when he said this phrase? Obviously, in the first place, he meant China. This interpretation of his words was published even in the Washington Post.
Panetta focused on the following thought: “The turning point is coming. Although Al-Qaida and similar terrorist organizations force us to be on the alert, but as a traditional Pacific power, the United States must make as much effort as possible to create alliances in this region. At the same time, a reduction in military spending should not affect these plans. ”
Following the Japanese visit, the head of the US military in his local newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun published his more outspoken article in which he literally attacked America’s supposed enemies. The minister openly accused the North Korean authorities of taking "reckless acts of a provocative nature," and also criticized the military doctrine of China, which, in conditions of information isolation, increases its military potential. Panetta accuses China, first of all, of secretly carrying out modernization of its armed forces, which is called quietly, which, according to the American Secretary of Defense, may indicate far-reaching plans of the Middle Kingdom.
For example, China is increasingly insisting on its exclusive right to the East China and South China Seas. Until recently, these seas could equally well be called Japanese, and American, and Soviet, but not Chinese, but now these seas, in fact, represent a zone of exclusive interests of the PRC and their absolute influence. Americans are also extremely worried that China is working on a DF 21D rocket, the so-called “carrier killer.” And such weapons, subject to its successful development fleet, puts China on a par with recognized maritime powers such as Britain and Russia.
Among other things, Panetta is concerned about the growth of China’s military spending, which will amount to 95 billion dollars this year. This amount makes China the second country in the world in terms of the military budget after the United States. In this sense, the concern of American leaders is quite understandable and justified.
As reported by AP, the modern American contingent in Japan has 47000 soldiers, and in South Korea - 28000. In this case, the Pentagon is exploring the possibility of strengthening its military presence in the Asia-Pacific region. The United States is going to achieve this goal by more actively moving its ships across the region’s waters and by participating in joint maneuvers with Pacific Fleets. It is natural that, first of all, the United States Navy will take part in the maneuvers of the fleets of its closest allies: Japan, Australia and South Korea.
With all this, the allies of the United States in the region may add, because China’s southern neighbors, who are not included in the blocks, feel a certain discomfort from the difficulties created by the competition that is gaining strength. And, judging by the mood of last week’s meeting of Panetta with the ASEAN defense ministers, the United States may well succeed in this.
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