By Pramod Raj Sedhain.
The U.S. pivot towards Asia-Pacific has led to dramatic competition in the region. Aimed at deterring rising China’s activities, the US has intensively expanded its effort to the Pacific region. Such a situation could change the political, economical, and even military scenario in the region. The US has expressed its commitment of vision towards its ally and desire for a peaceful, stable and economically prosperous region. But the key pillar of foreign policy “pivot to Asia” is sure to influence its heavy weight military might.
US President Barack Obama decided to make a “pivot” to Asia in 2011 while shifting its new priorities and increased participation in economically vibrant Asia. On the policy shift, it has announced to focus 60 percent of American air and sea power in Asia by 2020. After the announcement of the new policy, the US started aggressive approach and rapid expansion on the most dynamic and competitive regions. Fundamental goal of US strategic shift on the Asia-Pacific region is to influence the region politically, diplomatically, military, culturally and economically and fulfill its core strategic interests.
This key US perspective on foreign, defense and trade policy is making progress on the vast Asia Pacific region. National security, global domination and economic interests are the key factors of the US shifting towards Asia. The U.S. has moving ahead with an aim to maintain close ties with its Asia-Pacific allies to counter China’s influence in the region. Some regional countries have sought greater US presence while some disagree while several countries are in favor of an independent foreign policy to protect their national interests. United States expanded economic engagement with Southeast Asian nations. It also established different multilateral institutions.
Chinese defense white paper – 2013, has blamed the US adjustment in Asia-Pacific strategy saying that “some countries have strengthened their Asia-Pacific military alliances… and frequently making the situation tense.” Growing China capacity and regional interest, undefined maritime boundaries, unfavorable political circumstances and complex geography is emerging threat to US policy toward Asia. But both US and China avoid military confrontation and are aware of intervention that would lead to devastating consequences. However, they are in favor of ‘check and balance’ strategy.
US military strength and Pacific presence
Since the end of Cold War, United States military has been the sole super power in the world. US global economic dominance is slowly weakening but its most powerful military remains world’s super power. U.S. has over 1.4 million active duty military and 718,000 civilian personnel. Another 1.1 million serve in the National Guard and Reserve forces. The Pentagon (Department of Defense) is one of the world’s largest and most efficient office buildings in the world. Pentagon utilizes over 30 million acres of land and more then five thousand different locations.
The U.S. spends $640 billion on its military in 2013. US military annual cost accounts 37 percent of the total global military spending in 2013 – the world spent $1.75 trillion on defense. Even with troop reductions and budget cut, US solely spends combined military spending of China, Russia, the United Kingdom, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, India, Germany, Italy and Brazil, according to The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute figure.
Military presence and wide range defense engagement is US key policy priority. US strategic readjustment or “rebalancing” has helped in directly dominating its heavy weight military might. Pentagon plans to shift a large portion of its naval fleet to their traditional influence Asia-Pacific region by 2020. As part of a new military strategy to increase US presence in Asia by 2020, US as deployed more aircraft carriers, majority of its cruisers, destroyers and submarines and littoral combat ships, and increased its 60 percent naval forces stationed in the Pacific, up 10 percent from 2011.
U.S. has different layers of defense deterrence, military presence, defense supremacy in the Pacific and Indian Ocean. After starting the strategic competition in the Pacific region, the U.S. has put efforts in massive military build-up and expansion in the region.
Hawaii, the vital strategic ground to move in the Pacific region is the headquarters of U.S. Pacific Command, the largest of the Unified Commands, where 61 military installations that is capable to conduct all operational activities. The massive buildup US pacific command base is capable to all necessary defense operations handle quickly through land, air, sea as well and space.
America’s ground-based ballistic missile defense umbrella in the Asia-Pacific is located in Alaska. There are also three Air Force bases & Army bases as well five Coast Guard stations with thousands of service personnel.
Island of Guam base is another strategic ground of US pacific defense, the sophisticated military station, which is vitally and strategically important hub of Western Pacific. Guam base is currently billed as a super base and a major supply route and support and communications centre of Pacific force. U.S. has invested billions of dollars in Guam military and naval infrastructure in Pacific since the Second World War. Incase of any attacks on Guam, the US has developed two alternative bases in Northern Mariana Islands – Tinian and Saipan.
U.S. has also fast forward military base stations in Japan and South Korea. Japan hosts 47,000 US troops in different strategic locations. Japan-based US troop has a deployment of powerful X-band long-range missiles track radar systems and patriot interceptors. US army in Japan has rapidly upgraded in the combat capabilities. Japan is also a key bilateral military ally in the region. Similarly, the U.S. military has 28,500 troops station in South Korea equipped with hi-tech military hardware. U.S. has also mutual defense treaty and combat ship access agreement with different regional countries.
Another US largest Navy base is stationed at the Indian Ocean atoll of Diego Garcia, which is the most productive launch-pad for air strikes on Iraq and Afghanistan. The British owned Sri Lankan south location station – the Diego Garcia force has well equipment and sensitively standby to military operation anywhere in the world. U.S. has hugely invested to upgrading infrastructure and to make their base with nuclear-powered guided-missile submarine, which can carry up to 154 cruise missiles.
By 2016, the U.S. will station 2,500 Marines in northern Australia. This effort will have a greater access for U.S. aircraft to Australian air bases. The Philippines is another traditional operational military heart in the Pacific region. During the Second World War, the base in the Philippines played a vital role towards victory and until 1992 the headquarters of the US Seventh Fleet. In the counterterrorism effort, American military personnel have been deployed in the southern Philippines as trainers and advisers since 2002. US military has increased the potentially oil and gas-rich disputed Chinese sea border.
The U.S. has good military ties with Malaysia and it has enhanced its defense ties with former arch enemy Vietnam as well wide-ranging military cooperation in the region. The U.S. has engaged in bilateral and multilateral military meetings, joint training, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, interact among other tactic and tolls in the region. US military has heavily engaged with different countries to conduct training programs and defense cooperation. The US has also funded opening different nature of forum and mechanism, emphasized the intelligence role, strength permanent nature military base.
Chinese military capability
China has 850,000 soldiers, 235,000 navy and 398,000 air force of its military units, According to defense white paper – 2013, the territorial military has 18 combined corps in seven military area commands. China revealed the secret military structure in 2013 since the first time to Communist taking over the power in 1949.
Defense analysts believe that Chinese military budget saw a double-digit increment. China announced a 5.7 percent increase in its annual military budget to $119.5 billion in March 2013. But Pentagon believes that the actual military-spending was $145 billion. Western analyst believes that China defense budget grew at an annual average of 9.4 percent since last one decade. Some westerners estimated that the budget reached almost $200 billion.
Military exercise rapidly increased in all branches of army with ban increased bilateral and multilateral exercises with foreign militaries. In a total participation of seven, only three have been with the Russian military. China has also rapidly built new technology to deter the US military superiority. China already succeeded in making aircraft carriers while new generation military equipment and fighter planes are in development.
China is self sufficient to make powerful nuclear capable submarines as well as domestically built Song and Yuan-class boats. They have successfully tested advanced missiles destruction technology, built new aircrafts, command and control, ‘jammers’, electronic warfare, and data links as well as established special cyber warfare capability unit. China is the fastest growing military might and has got special western military hardware and technology.
Still China is not yet fully self-sufficient when it comes to military equipment and modernization capacity. However, China has a good source from Russia. China has also strategic deterrence to nuclear weapons. Its defense white paper clearance is its strategy as “primarily responsible for deterring other countries from using nuclear weapons against China, and carrying out nuclear counterattacks and precision strikes with conventional missiles”.
Chinese long term deterrence strategy
The US strategic shift in Asia Pacific region is alarming for emerging superpower like China. It has adopted long-term counter measure strategy, slowly and silently. China’s strength is its counter-balance strategy to prepare military and economically competition with US in the Asia Pacific region. Chinese move is still defensive rather than offensive but has build containment planes as well contingency capability to take military action. China feels easy to afford its military investment due to its growing economic power. It has also created new defense and commercial route with long term goal and objective to tackle US pacific strategy.
Chinese new strategy is deterring the US aircraft-carriers, aircrafts as well blockading the US strategic golden route in this region. Expansion of new commercial and probably the operational navy base focus on counter circle with the US and its regional ally. China has been silently and gradually taking a long term strategic option to tackle US military capability. One of the Chinese better alternatives is ‘String of Pearls Strategy’ in which China started expanding its maritime routes to significant both economically as well as militarily.
China’s ‘String of Pearls Strategy and other Silk Road route and railway link is related to a long-term geo-strategy. Basically, this concept helps maritime routes between ports, used for trade, logistics, escort vessels and convoys to navy. But during wars, this project will have vital strategic importance to control several maritime check points and to easily block the opponent forces in different places.
China started to create own strategic sea lines major maritime choke points like – Strait of Mandeb, the Strait of Malacca, the Strait of Hormuz and the Lombok Strait. Similarly, China’s new concern is to build strategic maritime sea port in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh as well as Maldives and even in Somalia. Such significant route is not only holds importance for commercial purpose but offence and defense purposes as well.
Trade corridor linking Xinjiang province in western China to Pakistani ports is equally important route to control Indian Ocean to Arabic sea to neutralize the opponent forces in all sectors and effectively gain long-term counter strategy. Myanmar to Bangladesh moves is also a similar initiative to create geo-strategic sea, road and railway line for huge investment and to provide aid in the region to assist in both commercial and defense purposes.
If such Chinese effort is properly implemented, it will have a significant gain in different purposes such as assisting in modernization of future navy, increased access to airfields and ports, effectively maintain and hold the pearls influxes over shipping lanes.
Chinese traditional land power focuses in maritime security and air force. China continues building military strength, space and cyberspace as well Anti-Satellite Weapons. Incase of opponent strategic weaknesses, China will demonstrate their capability to control particularly sovereignty disputed – the East, Yellow and South China Seas.
In November 2013, China’s flexed its military muscle in the disputed East China Sea and established an air defense identification zone. China forcefully moved to the South Sea despite the objection of Southeast Asian states Vietnam, Philippines and Malaysia. China also forcefully controlled some oil- and gas-rich South China Sea.
