U.S. plans to increase military engagement around world, shift focus to Asia Pacific

From the Philippine News Agency (May 7): U.S. plans to increase military engagement around world, shift focus to Asia Pacific

The United States plans to bolster its military presence around the world by strengthening collective security arrangements with the allies and shifting focus to the Asia Pacific region, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

"Today, the U.S. military is engaged in nearly 100 countries with nearly 400,000 personnel stationed or deployed around the world. What our budget proposal and defense strategy makes clear is that even as we shrink our military's size, we must not simply return to garrison. We must continue strengthening the capabilities of our allies, forming new alliances and bolstering old ones, and investing in collective security arrangements," Hagel said Tuesday.

The U.S. will also seek to shift forces and operational focus to the Asia Pacific region. Specifically, Washington is pursuing new access agreements like the one recently reached between the U.S. and the Philippines.

According to Hagel, this will enable the U.S. "to sustain presence without a rigid and costly basing structure."

"We've also begun new deployments of Marines to Australia and Navy Littoral Combat Ships to Singapore and we're also deploying more advanced capabilities to Japan and South Korea, our allies in Northeast Asia," Hagel said adding that another critical aspect of U.S. national security is strengthening partnerships with multilateral organizations.

"This not only includes NATO, but also regional institutions, like the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council," Hagel stated.

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