US rebalance to Asia-Pacific no backing out

From AngMalaya (Aug 6): US rebalance to Asia-Pacific no backing out

“Our forces are globally deployable no matter where they’re stationed, and the United States military has put a lot of time and effort into being able to get forces where we need them, when we need them, on a timeline that makes sense for us,” Admiral Samuel Locklear III, commander of the US Pacific Command told reporters in Pentagon.

Reporters asked the admiral if unrest in Russia and Ukraine would affect the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific. Locklear clarified that US Pacific Command remains on course. “I don’t get the sense that we’re backing away from the Asia-Pacific rebalance because of other events occurring in the rest of the world.”

“The rebalance to the Asia-Pacific is a lot more than just about military, but the military piece of it is moving forward,” Locklear said.

“As we started to draw down out of Iraq and Afghanistan, and we found that the Army was able to return to some of its historic roots in the Asia-Pacific, we started looking for opportunities to get the Army more involved in what we do day-to-day in the Pacific.”

Locklear also said that the recently concluded RIMPAC was “an excellent training opportunity for all nations involved.” 25,000 military personnel from 22 countries joined the largest naval drill in the world.

http://www.angmalaya.net/world/2014/08/06/2874-us-rebalance-to-asia-pacific-no-backing-out