From the US Department of Defense (Aug 21):
U.S. Outlines Asia-Pacific Maritime Security Strategy
For full report go the following URL:
http://www.defense.gov/Portals/1/Documents/pubs/NDAA%20A-P_Maritime_SecuritY_Strategy-08142015-1300-FINALFORMAT.PDF
The
United
States has spelled out its maritime security
strategy so that all nations understand the American position, David Shear, the
assistant secretary of defense for Asian-Pacific security affairs, said during
a Pentagon news conference today.
The U.S.
will continue to use diplomacy, multilateral institutions and continued
engagement to protect free and open access to maritime Asia,
while focusing on safeguarding the freedom of the seas, deterring conflict and
coercion, and promoting adherence to international law and standards, Shear
said.
And he reemphasized previous statements by U.S. officials that the United States takes no position over competing
claims for land claims in the South China Sea and the East
China Sea.
“We have a vested interest in ensuring that the claims are
resolved peacefully and without conflict or coercion,” Shear said, adding,
“however, there are several trends -- including rapid military modernization
growing resource demands and territorial maritime disputes -- which have the
potential to create instability in this vital region.”.
China’s
expansion of disputed features and artificial island construction in the Spratly Islands is a concern, he said.
“While land reclamation is not new, and China is not the only claimant to have conducted
reclamation, China’s
recent activities outweigh other efforts in size, pace and nature,” he said.
DoD Investing in Capabilities in Asia-Pacific
Shear made it clear the United
States will maintain the necessary military presence and
capabilities to protect U.S.
interests and those of allies and partners against potential threats in
maritime Asia.
The United
States, he said, is strengthening its
military capacity in the region to deter conflict and coercion and respond
decisively when needed.
“DoD is investing a new cutting-edge capability, deploying
our finest maritime capabilities forward, and distributing these capabilities
more widely across the region,” he said. As Defense Secretary Ash Carter has
said, “the United States
will continue to fly, sail and operate wherever international law allows, as U.S. forces do
all around the world,” Shear said.
The United
States will continue working with allies and
partners across the region to build their maritime capacities.
Leveraging Defense Diplomacy
“We’re building greater interoperability and developing more
integrated operations with our allies and partners,” he said.
U.S.
officials are leveraging defense diplomacy to build greater transparency,
reduce the risk of miscalculation or conflict and promote shared maritime rules
of the road, Shear said.
U.S.
officials are working with Chinese leaders and with regional officials to put
risk reduction measures in place, he said. There is already an agreement for
ship-to-ship encounters, Shear noted, adding that he hopes to see an agreement
for air-to-air encounters by the end of the year.
The United
States is working to strengthen regional
security institutions and encourage development of an open and effective
security architecture, Shear said. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations
is an increasingly important DoD partner, he said, and the department is
working closely with that organization.
“Through these venues, we aim to promote candid
conversations about ongoing challenges in the maritime domain and encourage
greater information-sharing and cooperative solutions,” he said.
http://www.defense.gov/News-Article-View/Article/614488/us-outlines-asia-pacific-maritime-security-strategy
