Indo-Pacific nations want strong American presence in the region, US official claims

Asia-Pacific, News, US June 11, 2023 , by IRIA No Comments

U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs Ely Ratner said Indo-Pacific nations seek a “continued strong U.S. presence” in the region as they are improving their military capabilities and enhancing interoperability and training with the United States and regional partners.

Ely Ratner attended the Center for a New American Security National Security Conference on “American Power and Purpose”. While outlining some of the U.S. Indo-Pacific partnerships, Ratner said that the U.S. has made “remarkable progress” over the last.

Ratner highlighted the agreement between the U.S. and the Philippines for four additional bases to host American forces. He said, “These bases will provide an ability for the U.S. to respond to a number of regional contingencies” as both countries are working on a new security assistance roadmap to develop asymmetric capabilities that will deal with the challenges faced by the Philippines.

He added, “It’s no secret that China’s assertiveness and coercion has really underscored the importance of working together to strive toward that outcome in the context of the Philippines”, the outcome referring to the shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The U.S. assistant secretary said that America’s important ally in the region, Japan is putting “unprecedented resources into boosting its military capability”. The United States and Japan are also increasing the number of exercises in the “first island chain which runs from northern Japan to the Philippines”.

^{U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Erik Estrella searches for surface contacts on a console in the combat information center of the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Antietam while it participates in operations in the East China Sea, June 8, 2023. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Ryre Arciaga)}

Ratner added that Japan is increasing cooperation with South Korea and the two nations are increasing cooperation on sharing early warning data of North Korean missile launches.

The U.S. defense official also highlighted the United States’ partnership with India is witnessing an increasing strategic alignment. He said, “The department supports New Delhi’s military modernization and co-development and -production of the U.S. defense industrial base with India’s.”

Ratner further added that the U.S. Department of Defense welcomes India’s participation in multinational exercises in the region and stressed that “A stronger India that can defend its own interests, and defend its own sovereignty is good for the United States.”

Sailors aboard USS Nimitz — ^{A U.S. Navy Sailor prepares to launch a F/A-18F Super Hornet from the “Fighting Redcocks” of Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 22 from the flight deck of the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) on Feb. 23, 2023, in the Philippine Sea. (Image Credit: U.S. Navy)}

Separately on June 8, Pentagon Press Secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said that the U.S. welcomes the “increasing cooperation between NATO and our Asian allies”. He added, “Japan is a cornerstone of our security in the Indo-Pacific region, our shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific, and we certainly welcome them as a NATO global partner.”

Earlier this week U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin visited Japan, Singapore, India, and France to discuss the continued focus and shared vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

During his speech at the Shangri-La Dialogue, Austin said that an increasing number of Indo-Pacific nations have come together around the “shared vision of the future in which all nations are free to thrive on their own terms without coercion or intimidation or bullying”.

*^{U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III meets with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, on June 1, 2023. (Image Credit: Chad J. McNeeley/DOD)}*

The U.S. secretary of defense highlighted that “It’s a vision of a free and open and secure Indo-Pacific within a world of rules and rights, and that vision is anchored in some key principles, to include respect for sovereignty, adherence to international law, transparency and openness, the free flow of commerce and ideas, human rights and human dignity, equal rights for all states, large and small, and resolving disputes through peaceful dialogue and not coercion or conquest.”

U.S. Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Colin Kahl is on his trip to Hawaii, Korea, and Japan to meet with senior Indo-Pacific Command military leaders and conduct a series of engagements to strengthen U.S. alliances and partnerships in the region.